Show Me a Hero
by JadeCrescent Fallen
Summary: What if Konoha was the weakest hidden village? What if it was just a huge slum? The Rookie 9 have just graduated, and now they must face their problems to better the future of Konoha. An epic tale of romance, determination, and hardship.
1. Beginning Of a Legend

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
****Slight AU warning.  
****Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!**

Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of one ninja triggers a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?

Note: _Italicized lines _often mean thoughts of a character. **Bolded lines **often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue.

The Author Speaks: Also, beforehand, I'd like to say thank you for reading this new fanfic, and I hope you enjoy it. There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information given.

Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except most of the characters are fifteen instead of thirteen. Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire. And yes, you guessed it! The Otokage is Orochimaru.

Beta Reader: Need one!

Songs: "Tokyo Nights" and "Travelling" by Utada Hikaru  
"Holding Out For a Hero" by Frou Frou  
"Welcome to Paradise" by Green Day  
"Money" by Vitamin C  
"Animal" by Nickelback

A quick explanation about the above section; I was inspired by backlashsymphony (totally recommend this author if you like great OrochiSaku stuff!) to start this up. The song(s) should describe the chapter's mood, so I suggest you look for the song(s), and look up the lyrics at Animelyrics (dot) net. The song can probably be downloaded at dogpile (dot) net, that's where I found it. If you can't find the song, just look up the lyrics! They work fine on their own.

**Show Me a Hero**

**_Chapter 1 – Beginning Of a Legend _**

Not too many people believed that there was a place in the world that offered nothing. Everyplace contributed in some way or other. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Konoha took a lot and gave nothing back. Those traveling through the hidden village would agree in the end.

Konohagakure, or Konoha as it was romanticized, was a small village that was nestled within the Land of Fire. It had no long-lasting cloudy days and sunless skies; on the contrary, the weather was perfectly mild and comfortable most of the year. The unattractive aspect of Konoha was not the weather. It was everything else.

The streets were unpaved and craggy, pebbles and rocks of all sizes scattered unevenly throughout the roads. The houses looked like shacks, far too small for the times, yet perfectly acceptable in the feudal ages. The larger buildings appeared to be in better condition, but it was only an illusion caused by the size. Broken streetlights lined the corners of the roads next to empty, paint-peeled store carts. A half-crumbled wall separated the previously-described residential district and the working district, the latter being full of tall and sickly-looking buildings where people slaved away at jobs that paid little and took up a lot of time. There were a few sad excuses for parks placed around Konoha, expectedly small and famished. Healthy trees and plants could be found, if one looked hard enough. The whole town was nestled on the side of a bare, ominous mountain, where a few buildings and the ninja academy were kept.

Konoha was ironic. It was a self-providing village, making items that only it would use, yet at the same time it would take from the Otokage in order to keep itself going. The few citizens who did leave brought crime and low morals with them, and not even the crimes were successful.

Konoha had a few schools other than the nin-academy. Not a lot of people went to school—those that did usually quit after a while or tried to get somewhere. They failed. The schools had incompetent teachers.

A lot of the teenagers had to become ninja. They had ninja parents, and in order to fill up the quota of supplied ninja so the Otokage would keep on funding the academy, all children with shinobi parents were forced to go to school. They all ended up graduating in the end—failing or not.

The older ninja knew. They weren't model ninja. They weren't even models. Most of them didn't even acknowledge that they were. Outsiders would never be able to tell that Konoha was a hidden village.

Konoha wasn't listed in any history books. It didn't do anything special. It could be found underneath one entry, along with every village or town or city in the country. Its name, population, and size were recorded. No one looked at that anyway.

Konohagakure. The Village Hidden Among Leaves.

A failure.

**XxXxXx**

The old man was trying desperately to get everyone's attention while the crowd babbled on with each other. He adjusted the microphone at the portable podium.

"Pay attention everyone!" he said into the microphone.

Five minutes later, everyone was completely silent.

"I'd just like to say a few words before I let you all go. I want everyone who has graduated from our academy to take a minute and think of how hard you worked to get to where you stand at this moment," said Lord Sarutobi. He was the nominal leader of Konoha, an old man who seemed like he didn't belong in such a place.

The crowd began talking again. He sighed heavily and waited for them to stop 'thinking'.

"Don't forget to meet with your new teachers at the designated spots tomorrow morning," he added. "Thank you, and good luck."

As he got down from the podium, two girls rounded on each other, full of chatter.

One had long, bushy blond hair and sported icy blue eyes. She was holding a headband with a metal plate bearing the symbol of Konoha, playing with it. "Well that was two hours of complete boredom," she said to her best friend.

Said friend had medium-length wavy pink hair that contrasted well with her stunning green eyes. She rolled her eyes while smiling. "You're always impatient Ino," she said.

Ino shrugged. "I wanted to get home. I totally lost a night of good money because of this."

Ino Yamanaka was the daughter of the only florists in Konoha. They had the loveliest garden in the village, and their plants were always fresh and wonderful and appealing. However, they struggled because no one bought flowers in this village. Ino only went to the academy because her father had made her. He himself was a ninja, a high-ranked one who had gone off training at Otogakure and one of the few decent ninja she knew. She only went to humor him, and at nights usually worked the streets, getting good money off of customers. All she needed was a tight skirt and a short top and she found herself busy all night.

"If you aren't interested then you know you shouldn't come. What will your new teammates think?" her pink-haired friend asked.

"You take all of this seriously, Sakura, because you want to actually be a ninja. You didn't even have to sign up because you're from a non-shinobi family. My teammates are fatass Akimichi and dickhead Nara. I hardly think they're all fired up about this," Ino said. "Lord Sarutobi kind of _made_ everyone do this so Otogakure would still send us money."

"I know that. I wonder how many graduating students really deserved this," Sakura wondered, tying her headband on her hair with the metal pointing towards the dark sky.

"Don't know, don't care. What I do care about is the hottie you have on your team!" Ino exclaimed, scanning the departing crowd for him.

"Sasuke Uchiha?" Sakura asked. She had a crush on the raven-haired boy, and when Ino was concerned lewd comments were bound to be said.

"Duh! He's so sexy. I'd fuck him any day—for free!" Ino laughed.

Sakura's eyes narrowed sadly. "Could you not?"

"What? I embarrass you? Oh, that's right. You like him too. Well I wish you luck; heard he's a cold son of a bitch." Ino flipped open a handheld mirror stashed in her purse and checked her heavy amounts of makeup while she talked. "The guy's brother got all depressed and went on a crazy murder-suicide spree with some sort of jutsu. He killed every single person in the Uchiha clan! I heard before he died himself he was crawling at Sasuke trying to kill him. Fucked up, eh?"

"Very," Sakura agreed. "But that's alright. I don't think he wants to be reminded of that, so I'll just not mention it around him."

"Up at eight am just to meet my teammates and do ninja crap. This fucking sucks!" Ino complained, abruptly changing the subject. "Should I even show up? Yeah, my dad's gonna expect it. Man, how am I gonna work this out?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Sakura patted her friend on the shoulder.

With that, they departed, Ino going off towards her home by the flower shop still adjusting her makeup and mumbling about how she can use training as an excuse to work the streets while Sakura walked to her apartment. She watched moths gather around the few lit streetlamps and sighed as they electrocuted themselves getting at the light.

_Being greedy gets you hurt, Ino. Remember that._

When she arrived at her four-room apartment, she immediately locked the door behind her and threw herself on her bed. Her parents weren't home. They were almost never home. They found it upon themselves to run off and get jobs in other villages and cities, leaving her by herself for long periods of time. They were a couple that was content with each other, and they trusted Sakura a little too much.

_I'm a ninja now,_ Sakura thought as she stretched out on her bumpy mattress.

**Cha! You sure are! I knew you'd pass that exam!**

_It was really easy. Ridiculously easy. Any other hidden village would scoff at our exams. And even if someone didn't pass the exam—the scary thing is a lot of people didn't—they still graduated the class._

**Konoha's a desperate place. Idiots! If I were running the show everything would be a whole lot different!**

_I can't lead an entire village. Lord Sarutobi can barely do it himself. He tries...it's not his fault we're like this. It's our fault._

Sakura got off her bed and crossed her tiny room to her window. Opening up revealed she lived on the fourth floor of the apartments, right by the local grade school. She looked at the decrepit playground with sad eyes. She had somehow managed to live here for fifteen years, and had come to accept Konoha the way it was. Still, some things just didn't sit right with her.

Of course, how could she change anything?

_I can't._

Sakura closed the window and, with a heavy sigh, headed to their cramped kitchen/dining room to make some dinner.

**XxXxXx**

Eight o'clock came earlier than usual that fine morning. The sun was shining, the worst glares blocked out by puffy white clouds that floated listlessly in the periwinkle blue skies. The air was pleasantly warm, breezes catching long hair and begging it to follow.

"Stupid goddamn wind!" Ino spat, tying up her blond locks in a ponytail. She wore a short blue miniskirt that ballooned out, along with a matching tank top and clogs. Her face was concealed behind mascara, eyeshadow, cover-up, and varying creams.

"Check the time Yamanaka. Whores doing morning shifts now?" Shikamaru Nara asked, leaning against a tree. They were waiting at the forest-side for their sensei.

"Fuck off," Ino hissed.

"If I give you five hundred will you do it for me?" The brunette laughed.

"Good one!" Chouji Akimichi said, nearly choking on his potato chips.

Ino glared at the large boy with rusty-brown hair. "Don't go laughing; I wouldn't screw _you _for fifty thousand, fatass."

Chouji stuck up his middle finger at Ino, who did the same thing back.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and looked around. "This is such a drag...where is our sensei?"

"Asuma Sarutobi's his name, right? The son of Lord Sarutobi...I dunno," Ino replied.

"Well I didn't drag myself out of the house just to sit here with you." Shikamaru stood up. "This is totally not me...but Chouji? Wanna go to the snack-shop? Better than hanging out with 'Fucks for money' over here."

Chouji smiled. "Sure! I'm running out of chips anyway."

Ino kicked a tree. "Fuck you both! And not literally!"

"Fine, fine. If we're not back when Asuma-sensei arrives then tell him we went to gather our...ninja supplies." Shikamaru and Chouji departed, laughing.

Ino folded her arms. It was going to be a boring morning, wasn't it? She plopped down on the ground and opened up her hand mirror. As she checked her hair, she realized that there was quite a lot of damage done to the tree. She smiled, feeling kind of proud.

**XxXxXx**

Across town, in one of the empty parks, a black-haired girl with a short cut was thrown against a tree. She gasped and gripped onto the bark behind her, straightening herself out as a boy with a furry grey coat and red marks under his eyes grabbed her hands and held them above her hand as he began to kiss and bite her neck roughly.

"K-Kiba...stop it..." she gasped in a soft, high voice.

"Aww c'mon baby, it's been a week! I need some satisfaction," he whined, unzipping her coat and caressing her breasts underneath a black top.

"Kiba! Not here, please!" she said, squirming.

"You're such a prude Hinata! I don't think _he_ cares," Kiba said, jabbing his thumb at a brunette with eyes hidden behind sunglasses, who was gazing off at the empty swing-set, not taking any notice of his two new teammates.

"S-S-Still...I don't w-w-want to do t-this now!" Hinata exclaimed, shivering as Kiba stroked her thigh.

Kiba let out a low growl. "Gods...hey, bugboy! Shino!" he yelled.

Shino turned his head slowly to meet Kiba's eyes.

"Do you care if we have some fun?" he asked, tracing her curves with his clawed hands.

"If it doesn't involve me, I don't care," Shino replied bluntly.

"Shino! Please..." Hinata said, wriggling as Kiba licked her neck.

Kiba moved away from her, sighing. "Alright, fine. As long as you stop whining."

"Thank you..." Hinata said, moving away from the tree, shaking slightly.

"But you're free tonight, right? Are Neji or Hanabi gonna be home?" Kiba asked her, smiling and showing off large canines.

Hinata winced. "U-Um...I think so..." she murmured.

Kiba smiled wider. "No they're not! I can tell when you're lying. Alright, I'll be over tonight and we can have fun under the sheets. Which position do you wanna take?" he purred.

"K-Kiba!"

"Our sensei's here," Shino said, interrupting their conversation (which Hinata was thankful for).

Kiba watched their sensei bid good-bye to someone she was walking with. This 'good-bye' took five minutes, their lips not wanting to leave each other. He laughed and his gaze traveled over to Hinata. Her lavender eyes purposely avoided his doglike black ones.

Finally, a black-haired woman with crimson eyes approached them, wearing the antithesis of a sensei's proper wear. She wore a very short tube top that matched her eyes underneath a black leather jacket along with ripped black short-shorts. Her shoes were spiky heels that could be a weapon on their own. Kiba was tempted to ask her if she was a whore who got dropped off at the wrong place—except she wore a headband around her neck.

"Alright, so this is Team 8 huh?" she asked, chewing a wad of bubblegum. She smiled at all of them. "I'm Yuhi Kurenai. Call me Kurenai-sensei."

"Hey, Kurenai-sensei!" Kiba said, smirking at his teacher. "You're fucking hot!"

She giggled. "Why thank you!" she said enthusiastically.

Hinata blushed. _Kiba...why can't you control your outbursts?_

"Okay, seeing as how I've gotta do all of this...um...yeah. I gotta know why you guys are here. Goals and shi—stuff. So! Let's start with the pretty lady over here," Kurenai said, her eyes on Hinata.

Hinata shifted. "Uh...I-I'm Hinata Hyuuga...of course you know that...u-um...I'm h-here because my parents w-were ninja, s-so I had to go t-to the academy. They're dead th-though...my cousin said this will get me o-out of the house more."

"Okay..." Kurenai said. "Wait, your cousin is Neji Hyuuga right?"

"Yes," Hinata replied quietly, looking at the ground.

"Holy shi—stuff! He's hot!" the teacher said with a giggle.

Hinata's face grew red. _Wh-Why is she talking about N-Neji like that? She's too old for him..._

"Okay, next. Kiba Inuzuka, a very attractive young man," Kurenai said, winking at him.

Kiba smirked. "I'm here because I have to be here. Though my sister and mom would kick my ass if I didn't come here. They'd sic Kuromaru and the Triplets on me."

"And Shino Aburame?" Kurenai asked, giving him a little air kiss.

He ignored it. "I have to be here. And also...I heard it gets me money. Money that will help me buy...needed items."

Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "Okay, let's go with that. Are you cold or something?"

Hinata and Kiba looked at Shino. They hadn't noticed it before, but he was actually shaking slightly, especially his hands. Shino shook his head. "No, don't worry about it."

"Well I was going to let you borrow my coat," their attractive teacher said, smiling at him flirtingly.

Shino frowned. "That's not necessary."

She sighed. "Looks like I got a boring one. Oh well. Hey, I'll be frank. You guys can act like adults right? Which means I don't have to babysit you. You train on your own time, whenever and wherever you want. But don't let it get in the way of your social lives! I _know _how annoying that can be."

"That's my kind of thinking!" Kiba said with a laugh.

Hinata stared at Kurenai disbelievingly. _How is she qualified for this?_

**XxXxXx**

Hatake Kakashi knew he shouldn't have taken the job. Sure, he got a slight pay raise that way...but at luck would have it; he got the one determined team out of all of them. He could tell just from asking the standard question of why they were there.

"At first, I wasn't even gonna show up. But then I thought; hey being a ninja couldn't be so bad! Besides, I really got bored with painting expletives on the mountain and I really have no money. But I think being a ninja really means something. I really wanna grow up to be strong like the Otokage, to be respected and admired," said blond Naruto Uzumaki, a boy who contained the kyuubi inside of him. The boy knew about it, but never let it bother him. It had helped save Otogakure from destruction, and also gave a huge reward to Konoha, although they wasted that money away quickly.

"...I couldn't stop my brother. I knew it was too late for him, but I could've saved my fellow clan members if I hadn't been such a coward. I want to grow strong, like my dad hoped for," was Sasuke Uchiha's reply. His raven hair was spiked in the back and his eyes were as black as his hair.

"A lot of people wondered why I was going to the academy, because they know my family has no ninja in it. They were really surprised when I said it was because I wanted to, because I wanted to be an actual ninja. I don't have any crazy dreams...but...this is what I want." Sakura Haruno was a real surprise to him. He had expected and thought she was like Ino.

He was now looking through their files of their progress at the ninja academy while they trained for a while.

He had their files spread out around him. _Sasuke and Sakura passed the test with flying colors, while Naruto completely bombed it. Of course, anybody who knew chakra basics could pass the test. I know Sasuke is ready for actual combat and the responsibilities...but Sakura and Naruto hardly are. They've got ambition, but they don't have training. And this is where I come in. Problem is, I can't teach._

"I wonder what's taking him so long," Naruto thought out loud as he slumped against a wooden pole.

"I saw him with a bunch of files; he's probably looking through our records and whatnot," Sakura said.

Sasuke was practicing taijutsu on a training stump. Sakura was watching him with a smile, while Naruto kept on whining.

"I'm hungry." Naruto patted his belly.

"It's not like we can just walk off Naruto. Just relax and be patient," Sakura assured him.

She walked over towards Sasuke in order to make it look more apparent she was watching him. He swiftly threw shuriken into all of the holes he had created in the log. When they hit the mark, she clapped. "Good job Sasuke! You're really a good marksman," she praised.

He didn't turn towards her. "It's something I was taught to do when I was a child. It's basic, and I'm hoping you can do it." He gathered the shuriken from the holes and handed them to Sakura. "Here. You do it."

Sakura was taken aback. In the academy, they had only taught weapons for about a week and shuriken for less than a day. She hadn't handled one in a while. The shuriken felt cool and prickly in between her fingers.

_Alright, relax Sakura. You can do this, _she thought to herself as she readied her aim at the holes. Naruto had ceased complaining and was now watching her intently. She felt a little intimidated by their gazes, so she pushed that to the back of her mind and threw.

They missed by a long shot, some falling far short and some flying over the log and falling to the ground ahead. She immediately felt a blush creep up her cheeks.

**What the _hell_ was that?**

_I...I wasn't concentrating hard enough!_

Sasuke chuckled. "Knew it. You really have no talent. Just a girl who wants to be tough and thinks this is the way to go. You really need to go back to working the streets."

Sakura's eyes widened and Naruto frowned. "What the hell did you say to her?" he asked in a bitter voice.

"I was stuck in that school with no-talents like you two. A girly whore and a stupid, slow loudmouth with no regard for rules are my teammates, and if it hadn't been you two, it would have been some other low-lives. People like you make me sick," he spat.

Sakura felt her heart crush. She had barely known him for a half-hour and already he hated her. But...to say such things angered her as well. She knew well that Konoha was a miserable place. But _she_ did nothing wrong. She had no training, and neither did Naruto.

Kakashi was putting things back in their place, making sure not to mix up information. _I don't know how to teach and I'm not experienced enough to be able to teach them. I'm not even a great ninja myself. I have nothing to teach them. Sasuke, I'd be happy to pass. But Naruto and Sakura will never be able to survive. _

He reached his students just in time to see Sakura rounding on Sasuke, yelling at him.

"How dare you judge me? You know _nothing_ of my life! Of _our _lives!" Sakura bellowed, referring to Naruto as well. "I know you were raised as a happy little Uchiha, possibly the only civilized people that once lived here, and that you had training and lessons and extra practice because you had all these books and people around you who could teach you! And even though that's all gone, you still have your lessons learned! I have had nothing! My parents are always away so I had to get a job at my friend's flower-shop and at the factory in order to keep my apartment, so I had no time to train, and even when my parents are home I _still_ have to work because they piss away all the money they earned in the city for honeymoons and other worthless garbage. Romantic, yeah but do they care about me? Yes, but they're too _stupid _to stop being crazy-in-love and get into reality! So I came to the academy to learn something! And even there I learned so little, and I've just gotten to my team and you have the nerve to call me an untalented whore? I don't work the streets! I'm a virgin! I have talent! But I don't know what it is yet! So don't judge me until you really know me!"

Kakashi was frozen, looking as stunned as Sasuke was. What had he said to trigger such an outburst?

"Sakura..." Naruto said, trailing off and approaching her.

"I'm going to show you, Sasuke. That I'm not like the others. I want to be a success," Sakura said quietly.

"And I want to be a success too. But my dream's a lot bigger. And I know I'll make it. And if I can make it, so can you," the blond said gently.

She was on the verge of tears. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You want me to look at you differently? Then show me what you can do. Prove it. Both of you. Prove that you can make a difference."

Sakura and Naruto looked at him. It sounded like a sneer, but when they looked at Sasuke they saw a challenging smile on his face.

Naruto glared with azure eyes, but inside her wasn't so angry. Sakura wiped her tears away and chuckled. _Even after what he said, I still like him...hormones are crazy..._

Naruto found a shuriken on the ground and held it to his palm. "Kakashi-sensei! Be a witness!" he said.

Kakashi approached. "Naruto, what are you doing?"

He smirked and slashed his palm, blood escaping his fresh wound not a second later. Sakura gasped. "Naruto! What was that for?"

The kyuubi holder watched the blood drip to the ground. He handed the shuriken to Sakura. "Your turn."

Sakura bit her lip as she took the shuriken. She didn't know why she was doing it, and she hesitated with the shuriken pressing against her skin.

"Do it. Ninja experience pain all the time," Naruto said.

This was true. She gritted her teeth and slashed her own palm, shrieking at the pain that shot through her body. She dropped the shuriken and held her arm, weeping.

_She can't handle pain. She was a regular girl who was put in a world that doesn't belong to her,_ Kakashi thought.

Sakura shakily held her hand over Naruto's blood puddle, her lighter blood mixing with his.

"Upon this pain, I take an oath—to know that this pain will become my future and I should expect it. I will grow strong and respected by all; I will become a Kage!" Naruto said.

"Upon t-this pain, I take a-an oath—to know that t-this pain will become my future and I s-should expect it. I will develop into a s-successful and strong ninja," Sakura said, trying to quell her tears of pain.

Sasuke smirked, watching them. _You'd better not forget those oaths. I'll be watching._

Kakashi looked on with a sad face hidden under his mask. Memories began to call to him inside, and he almost drifted away. _I knew two people who had that exact same dream. Three people, actually. ...Even if you try to commit yourself...you don't always make it._

Those three people he knew wanted to make it big. They all had a pact, a pact they swore they'd never break. In the end...no one achieved their goal. Their pact disappeared.

Kakashi didn't want them to have their hearts broken in the late run. He couldn't. Although he had only known these children for a morning, he felt a strong bond with all of them. He didn't want Naruto's playfulness to disappear from the streets. He didn't want Sakura's laugh to not be heard from a window. He didn't want Sasuke to mourn.

So, he knew what he had to do.

Even if it shattered their dreams.

**XxXxXx**

Whoah. That was a serious first chapter!

This story is very dark, so for those looking for fluffy things, you won't find it here until later chapters. I was really satisfied with the little speech Sakura made. Yes, the circumstances of the Uchiha clan's massacre changed, and yes Itachi is dead, but this will become an important aspect in later chapters. Yes, Kiba was trying to get dirty with Hinata. They're a couple, but this is life! Couples change. This story will have a lot of couples. Popular ones and slightly obscure ones, mind you. And yeah, I killed off Hinata's family sans Hanabi and Neji. It made it easier that way. The story doesn't focus completely on one character, though the spotlight will be tipping in favor of certain people. I was just setting up the base for this fine fanfic. And when I said there would be heavy amounts of swearing; I wasn't lying! I know there are people out there who believe that swearing is unnecessary, but in this fanfiction; it's very necessary. It's chockfull of teenagers! What do you expect? There are many characters who will act very much OOC; once again, this is a fanfiction! I can do whatever I want! Yes, Kurenai's a flirt and a major slut. Yes, Ino's a whore. Yes, Kiba's a sex-deprived creep. That's just how it is. Everyone in this fic has some type of problem. So you gotta see if they're able to pull through it all.


	2. Dependence

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
****Slight AU warning.  
****Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!**

Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja triggers a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?

Note: _Italicized lines _often mean thoughts of a character or in some cases dreams. **Bolded lines **often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. **_Bolded italicized lines_ **often mean flashbacks.

The Author Speaks: There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information given. Oh, and **NEW WARNING! **There will be limes/_possible _lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes. This is a warning.

Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except most of the characters are fifteen instead of thirteen. Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire. And yes, you guessed it! The Otokage is Orochimaru. Oh, and Kakashi never lost his other eye. I forgot that detail...

Definitions:  
Tokujo – short for Tokubetsu Jounin which are specialized ninja in between Chuunin and Jounin rank

Songs: "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane  
"We Are All On Drugs" by Weezer  
"Rich Girl" by Gwen Stefani  
"In The Ghetto" by Elvis Presley

**Show Me a Hero**

**_Chapter 2 – Dependence _**

Sakura had no job.

Her realization crept up on her slowly while she lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling with tired eyes. The day was cool and rainy, not a fun day to walk around and enjoy the weather.

She should've kept it. She really should have. But how was she supposed to know?

Senseis were_ supposed _to call meetings, right?

The day after their first meeting, Sakura went to her factory job and quit it. She had to fit in team meetings into her schedule and training. She felt herself on the verge of being fired anyway. Her boss never liked her much. As for her job at the flower-shop, that was only part-time and Ino had taken over the register anyway.

When she got home from quitting her job, she felt excited about the days to come. Training with Naruto...and _Sasuke._

His name always brought up controversy between herself and her other half. On one hand, he was a sarcastic and teasing depressive guy. And yet, Inner Sakura wouldn't let up about his mysterious and handsome figure.

Her hot-tempered conscience had a point. _After I yelled at him, he really toned down. Not a bad person...confused I guess._

However, as the days passed on...she never received a message from Kakashi or her teammates. Actually, she hadn't seen them in a week. She had been sitting around her house doing nothing for a week. A week that _could_ have been filled with work and money.

Frustrated, she stood up and crossed over to her secret money storage. Looking inside it...she had nothing. Her heart sank and butterflies began to form in her tightening stomach. "No..."

She had no money. Absolutely none.

Panic set in early. Her breathing became fast and short and she felt the need to move around as much as possible. She felt her eyes begin to burn and her worst fears begin to set in as she frantically made her way to the kitchen, opening up the faded cabinets to see how much food she had. Not a lot. The fridge didn't hold a lot either.

She had no way to contact her parents. She didn't even know if they were in Oto or not.

Sakura fingers went underneath her pink locks and bunched them up in worry. Tears began to fall down her cheeks as she thought of starving to death. "No, Sakura shut up. That's not going to happen."

She crumpled down onto the dusty kitchen floor and began to cry. "I have no job...I can't do this...no money...oh god...what the hell am I going to do now?"

**XxXxXx**

The Hyuuga household was the nicest house in Konoha. It was all thanks to Neji, who treated the house like a goddess. It was clean, sparkling, and a welcome sight to travelers who were afraid of everything else around them.

Today, the air in Hinata's room was thick with fiery sex from the night preceding. All mornings preceding sex were like this. Sweaty, hot, uncomfortable. At least, that's when it came to Kiba.

The Hyuuga shifted in bed, waking up with watery lavender eyes. Her blurred gaze could decipher two red symbols against tanned skin, and she sighed. Another night with him. She could barely remember any of them. They had no impression on her—only when they got brutal. Her physical appearance showed off his power and his domination.

She wanted to slip quietly away from him and get dressed. His arm was splayed out across her chest, his claws gently pressing against her naked, pale skin. She was afraid to move, not wanting to receive cuts.

His sharp eyes opened at that moment, as if he had been up for several hours. He smirked at her. "Hinata love...good morning..."

She closed her eyes as he began to trail kisses down her neck. "K-Kiba...good morning..."

"Yes, a good morning indeed. You were a fucking dream last night," he said, licking at a bite mark on her collarbone. "And I left my impressions too." He pulled her closer.

Hinata shivered when she felt his length press against her leg. It was limp, but Kiba had extraordinary ways of making it harder than a rock when he wanted to. "K-Kiba, not again...I j-just woke up!" She gasped as he began to suck on her nipple.

He let it go. "But I'm ready for another round!"

"B-But..."

She was saved, though by someone she'd prefer not to hear. "GOD DAMMIT GET UP ALREADY!" yelled an irritated male voice.

Kiba frowned. "Fucking Neji, always ruining the mood."

Hinata sighed happily and slipped out of bed, reaching for undergarments and clothing. Goosebumps formed on her skin, and she knew Kiba was ogling her. Hopefully when she turned around he'd be dressed too.

It was so. They entered the living room together. Neji was sitting on the couch. He didn't bother looking back at them. "Kiba, next time you wanna fuck her do it at your house. I'm tired of having you at the breakfast table," he said bitterly.

Kiba scowled. "Blame your cousin, not me. She never wants to come over."

Hinata looked at the ground. _I wouldn't feel safe with you._

"Not my problem." Neji waved towards the door. "There's the door."

Kiba glared at him and left, but not before fervently kissing the short-haired girl for five minutes.

Neji stood up and faced Hinata after he left. Anger was exhibited on his face, his eyes matching Hinata's and his hair brown and long. "You're loud."

Hinata blushed. "It's not me...it's K—"

"I don't care. Put a muzzle on him or something. You kept Hanabi up for an hour. She came into my room asking if there was a burglar in our house because she heard Kiba and banging. And then she heard you gasping and moaning and she thought you were hurt."

"I'm sorry," Hinata whispered, feeling dirty.

"Whatever," Neji said. "Now get out of here. Go do some training or whatever."

In truth, he knew Hinata wasn't training. That's what angered him; to have his sister pretending to perform her duties as a ninja and instead going on dates with Kiba and wasting her time with other shit. He would have killed to have the opportunities that she had, but he couldn't. Why? Because his family had to go up and get themselves killed on a mission. And so he had to drop everything and take care of those two. Hanabi he felt no anger towards. Hinata, however, was only a year under him. She couldn't care of herself, and he had to do it for her.

Hinata complied, and left after grabbing one of Neji's pastries from the kitchen table. The sweet confection was perfect, with just the right amounts of icing and flakiness. It cheered her up a little, and she walked as far away from Kiba's home as possible. What Neji had said before had given her a little idea that would give her a perfect alibi and a reason to not see Kiba.

She passed Sakura on the way to the market. She could immediately sense that the pink-haired girl was not in a good mood, so the Hyuuga purposefully kept away from her.

Sakura stopped when she saw Hinata coming her way. She dried her eyes and tried to make herself look semi-normal. "Hinata-chan!" she called.

She could have sworn Hinata winced, but that thought was quickly pushed aside once the girl made a beeline towards her after hearing her name called. Sakura gazed at the pastry she was eating in an accidental greedy manner. Hinata ripped off a piece and offered some. Sakura declined, but took it after a few more prods from the shy girl.

"Thank you," Sakura said, savoring the flavor. "Have you seen Naruto or Kakashi-sensei anywhere?"

Hinata shook her head and smiled. "I-I'm sorry, I haven't seen either of them. But I know Kakashi-sensei lives by the Hyuuga household."

"Thank you for your help. Also—" Sakura added, thinking her question through, "have you and your team met up with each other this past week? I mean, I know you and Kiba probably hang out all the time, but also Kurenai-sensei and Shino? Have you trained at all?"

Hinata was about to give the negative answer, but she stopped herself. She wanted to spread that she did train, so if Kiba pried she'd have 'witnesses' of a sort to testify to her defense. She smiled. "Yes, it's been difficult. I think we're pulling through somehow." She cocked her head. "How about you?"

Sakura suddenly felt evasive. "Uh...tough, yeah. Kakashi works us hard."

After bidding their goodbyes, Sakura headed for Kakashi's home. A whole week and she hadn't so much as seen a strand of her sensei's silver hair anywhere. After what Hinata had said, she had a feeling that he was neglecting his duties. This surprised her, as he seemed to be a good character.

She located his home and walked up the rotting front porch. "Kakashi-sensei!" she called, rapping on the door. She gave him a moment to get to the door. No answer prompted her to knock again. She growled. "Where is he? On a mission?"

"**_Oh please. Konoha hasn't received a mission in a while. The last time we did we failed all of them. And it was just a C rank."_**

**_Sakura was stunned by the words of Asuma-sensei. She had gone to his home to ask him where she might find Ino, to which he had replied with a laugh and a "How the hell should I know?" After all he was the son of Lord Sarutobi, so it was natural he'd know about the condition of the village._**

"He's out. I'll wait for him," Sakura said out loud, plopping down on his porch. She propped her elbows on her thighs and rested her chin on spread hands.

Her eyes were growing heavy. She hadn't gotten a lot of sleep last night because of a crack in her window. Her room was freezing, and she had no heater.

"Yeah...he'll be back soon..."

**XxXxXx**

The last person Shino wanted to see in the marketplace was Hinata. She was buying a new shirt that she had set her eyes on—but to Shino it was only her exchange of money he could see. His arm twitched and he walked by her, praying she wouldn't notice him.

She might have been a crap ninja, but she still had a heightened sense like all of them. She turned and smiled at him, and he flexed his hand, hasty. "Shino! I didn't t-think I'd see you today."

"...I've been busy." He wanted to get out of there.

"Training?" He felt like she was pushing the conversation for a reason, so he humored her.

"I guess you could say that. With sharp objects." Shino adjusted his sunglasses. People were looking at him oddly. The sun was cowering behind grey clouds, sunglasses seemed foolish.

"I've been busy training too. Very tough business." He knew automatically she wasn't training. She never trained; she had no interest in being a ninja. At the moment, he didn't care. He let her remember that she had somewhere to be and then moved on, feeling like he going to explode.

The alley was still damp from the earlier rain, and the overturned garbage cans were filled with disgusting brown rainwater. The smell would've caused Shino to gag...had he been able to smell anything. His senses had grown lax the past year.

The person he wanted to see was hanging out at the back of the alley. They didn't exchange pleasantries; it was a strict business deal.

"I missed you Aburame. One of my best customers. I was afraid that you turnin' ninja was gonna make you stop comin' here, but I never should've lost doubt," said the figure, wearing a black trench-coat with an unfriendly smile.

Shino held out the ryo he had. "It's all I have. It took me forever to steal it, but dad finally stopped paying attention for a minute."

"Good boy Aburame. I don't wanna lose you," he said. He opened up his coat and pulled out two large bags of white powder.

Shino swiped them from his outstretched hands and he stood, hands shaking, holding the powder at arm's length and admiring it through dark glasses. "Zuro...you've saved my life."

Zuro laughed and closed his coat. "I hope you don't keep on leaving me hanging like this, Aburame. You really should come back more. You won't tell any of your teammates about this will you?"

"I haven't told anyone for the past year. Do you think I'd start running my mouth just because I happen to have a ninja team? We never meet anyway." Shino's voice sounded livid. He had been under the assumption he would get paid accordingly for completed missions. If there _were _any missions.

Zuro's unfriendly air seemed to darken further at the mention of meet. "So, they're still a bunch of suckers? Some things never change."

Shino left the dealer to meander in the alley. He pocketed his newfound goodies and stepped back into the crowded, busy market where he headed for home. He had his syringe hidden away in a drawer in his bathroom, and his body was yelling at him to get a move on so he could feel good once again.

**XxXxXx**

Ino stared out her window at the gloomy night with a sigh. It was too cold and rainy for her to work the streets, as she didn't feel the need to wear short-shorts while her legs froze off. The whole hard-nipple effect would probably be a major turn-on, but it was minimal.

Downstairs, her father was closing up shop. Ino sat at her desk and began writing down the list of customers she had serviced in the last week. It was a good way to sort out her information that could be applicable when necessary.

As she wrote, her thoughts drifted to the scenario that had occurred during her lunchtime.

_**The delicious, sweet taste of the sushi swirled together with the wild rice in her mouth. She pushed her bangs out of her face to prevent grains of rice or sticky sushi to end up in her hair.**_

**_The food joint she was dining in was hardly a high-class culinary establishment; tacky decorations and mediocre food. The only thing this particular place, called 'Nori-KoKo', was good at making was sushi—they didn't have to cook for that dish. That's what Ino deduced._**

_**Her table was invaded by another who sat across from her, and her eyes looked up to see Shikamaru sitting cross-legged in the booth, watching her. It annoyed Ino. She hadn't spoken to the Nara boy since their meeting a week ago.**_

"_**What?" Ino asked, stirring some soy sauce into the rice to give it a bit more flavor.**_

"_**About Asuma-sensei..." Shikamaru began. He didn't seem to know how to word the next part, so she helped him.**_

"**_I haven't seen him. Why would you of all people care? It's not like me, you, or Chouji give a shit if we train or not. We're not gonna have to do anything anyway." Ino was grateful, though she still had to use training as an excuse to stand around whoring herself off._**

"_**Yeah, yeah. I was just wondering if you've fucked him yet."**_

_**Ino broke the chopstick she was holding. Her gaze bore into his, and she replied scathingly, "No, I wasn't planning to."**_

**_Shikamaru seemed to think the question was funny and the female had a feeling he had only asked her out of a dare from his overweight friend. "I'm surprised. I bet you'd make it to the team finals easily."_**

"_**Team finals?" the words were foreign to Ino. She grabbed another pair of chopsticks from the other table, and began to shovel in sushi.**_

"**_You don't know about them? Do I have to explain it? Aww...what a drag." Shikamaru stole a piece of sushi from her, to which her surprised and angry glare made him smirk. "At the end of a three-month period with your team you all perform a final exam scored by a panel of judges that determine whether you can upgrade to the next rank of ninja or even if you can continue being a ninja. The teachers don't even have to send all of their team; those who take the exam are usually there because the teacher decides that they're ready for it. If you aren't chosen to take the test, you are kept at the Genin rank. I don't know about the rest."_**

**_He took note of her open-mouthed stare of surprise. He leaned further back in the booth, moving his legs so they were scrunched up against the table._**

"_**Are you ready for them?" Ino asked, trying to sound curious.**_

**_Shikamaru didn't buy it. He knew she didn't want to admit she was weaker than him. "Of course not," he said truthfully. "We all suck. Asuma's busy fucking Kurenai-sensei when he should be training us. Personally I don't care, but we're all on our own. As soon as we get outta school, nobody looks after us."_**

_**Ino stirred her orange drink. "How is that right? We're still kids."**_

_**Shikamaru shrugged. "Well, we gotta get money somehow. Of course, you're all set. Screwing for a living, you'll make millions."**_

_**Ino didn't find that funny at all. "If you're just going to start harassing me then you can just fucking leave," she hissed, slapping his hand away from the sushi.**_

_**Shikamaru slid out of the booth. "Just stating a fact." He left with his hands in his pockets, shuffling out of the joint listlessly.**_

Ino heard barking outside. She put down her pencil and gazed down at the dirty streets below. Kakashi was heading home, and the vicious dog across the street wasn't giving him a fun time. She noticed his staggers and she sighed as he picked up a rock and threw it at the dog.

The barking only got louder. Ino crossed over to her bed and grabbed her pair of old headphones. Looked like another few hours of scratchy CDs.

**XxXxXx**

"_Upon t-this pain, I take a-an oath—to know that t-this pain will become my future and I s-should expect it. I will develop into a s-successful and strong ninja."_

_Sakura stared down at her dripping blood. Her eyes widened in pain.._

_Naruto smirked at her, his canines growing larger and his eyes turning red. "Is something wrong, Sakura-chan?"_

"_Naruto, what's happening to you?!" Sakura asked, falling to the ground in fear. Her blood began to burn up the grass it touched._

_Sasuke was sitting not too far away, playing with two kunai. Sakura pleaded to him. "Sasuke, help me! Naruto's kyuubi is out of control!"_

_Sasuke looked at her with dull eyes. "If you want to develop into a strong ninja, then you must fight terrible things. Good luck."_

"_No, wait don't leave!" Sakura reached towards him and he vanished, being replaced by Kakashi._

"_Kakashi, I'm so glad you're here! Naruto's going crazy!" she stood up, and made towards Kakashi, who chuckled._

"_I'm not going to help you. You're strong, right?" Kakashi turned and walked away._

"_No! Why are you leaving me?" Sakura cried. She tried to run after him, but her legs instead turned to face Naruto._

_Naruto's bloodthirsty gaze lingered on her blood. "It's burning with desire. It wants to be set free. I can do that easily." His claws were growing exponentially._

_Sakura screamed. "No! Don't, Naruto please! I'm not ready for this yet! Someone help me! WHY ISN'T ANYONE HELPING ME!" she screamed into the silence._

_Naruto jumped at her, claws inches from her exposed throat..._

Sakura flew up, breathing heavily, a scream caught in her windpipe. She touched her throat, expecting a gaping hole, and was relieved to find it all in one piece.

Her surroundings told her she was in someone's living room on their couch. She rubbed her head, dazed, and called out tiredly. "Kakashi-sensei?"

She heard banging, a cuss, and then her sensei stumbled in. Her senses immediately told her he had been drinking. Her eyes picked up the familiar look of a clock, telling her it was past ten. _How long had I been on that porch?_ Come to think of it, she felt lightheaded.

"Kakashi-sensei," she repeated.

He smiled goofily (at least, she thought he did, his mask took on that shape). "Yes Sakura?"

"Where have you been?" she asked, disregarding his tone that made it seem like they saw each other casually every day.

"Around. I can't remember...somewhere. Training...yeah," he slurred. "I come home and find a beautiful girl sleeping on my porch. It's like being married."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. _Yup, he's totally smashed._

"I guess this isn't a good time to talk about Team 7," she began, straightening out her wind-blown hair.

"Team 7? That some sort of drink? Sounds like it," Kakashi said, laughing and sauntering into the kitchen, crashing into the open door.

Sakura chose to follow him. "No, Team 7's your ninja team. The one I'm on. The one _you _never see?"

Kakashi stared at her with glazed eyes for what seemed like a minute. "Uh...yeah, I remember now. What about it?"

"Well, why haven't we seen each other? It's been a week. We need training," Sakura pressed.

Kakashi opened his fridge. "I don't gotta train you for nothing. You guys can do it yourself."

Sakura was appalled. "Excuse me? I can't do anything but train with what I know, and build those skills up. I can't learn anything new unless someone teaches me!"

He pulled out another beer. "I'm not training you guys. I don't have to, so I won't. You guys're fine. I guess..." he pulled down his mask and opened up the can, taking a large swig.

_What kind of adult is he?! _Sakura thought angrily. "I _want _to learn more!"

"Then go find someone else. Or read somethin'. Don't go crying to me." Kakashi drank more, beer rolling down his lips and staining his mask.

"Crying? I'm asking you for help! There's gotta be an excuse you don't want to train us!" Sakura cried.

"I don't want you guys to get killed. Chuunin ninja go on dangerous missions and you'll all die. That's the last thing I need." Kakashi crumpled up the beer can and reached into his fridge for another.

Sakura crossed over to him and grabbed his arm. "Hey, would you stop for a minute! We won't die if you train us!"

Kakashi's hand twitched. His hand flew up and he grabbed her by the hair, and threw her into the fridge. Sakura cried out in pain and hit the shelves. She slid down and felt the cold prickle her skin. She gazed up at Kakashi in fear. _W-What's his problem?_

"Not dying's a lot easier than training so you won't die. I'm not doin' that to you." Kakashi said in an angry, bitter voice.

Sakura stood up, slowly moving past Kakashi while facing him. "Okay...fine. If you want to pretend we aren't your responsibility, then that's great with me. But come three months, I swear that I'll have grown. If I can't get help from you, then I don't care. Excuse me for coming to you, _my teacher, _for help. Go on, drink your beer—that'll make it better right? I hope I didn't bruise any cans when you threw me," Sakura said icily, her figure moving out of the kitchen.

"And thanks for not leaving me out in the rain!" the kunoichi yelled from the front door, slamming it behind her so hard that the wood split in the middle.

Sakura's eyes filled with tears as she stomped back home, the rain pouring hard. She arrived home and retreated into her bedroom, her eyes on her weapon pouches lying, unused, on the table. Sakura picked up the leg strapped-pouch and took out a kunai, tracing the weapon with her fingertips. She held it defensively in front of her and then lashed out, slashing at an imaginary target. The pinkette stared at her weak hands. They were gentle and soft. _Too_ soft. They had no calluses, and her muscles were minute.

"Damnit," Sakura said softly as the handle of the kunai pressed into her cut, sending a painful sting up her arm. She set the weapon back on the table and looked out at the rain. Right now, there were countless ninja all over the province risking their lives to perform a civic duty, and she was shut in her room with a weapons pouch and the rain pouring outside.

**XxXxXx**

The next afternoon was bright and warm, which heightened Sakura's mood slightly. She was sitting at an outdoor picnic table with Ino, who was chattering incessantly while they shared a root beer float.

That morning Sakura had gone to the only public library to check out a few books on developing jutsu skills. However, the receptionist wouldn't let her check any out, and she was eventually thrown out of the library for making a scene. "Too many have been stolen so we only lend them out to non-ninjas," the lady had said. Sakura found the whole thing stupid.

"So, I was thinking like, crap I can't make any money today! This whole ninja thing hasn't helped me one bit. Some of my customers are even afraid to buy me cuz they think it's 'weird'. How stupid is that? I was like, 'what the hell'? I can't wait until the Chuunin exams," she said while taking a sip of root beer.

Sakura's attention shifted back to her blond friend. "Why? Are you ready for them?"

"Uh, hell no! Asuma-sensei's not gonna recommend me anyway, and if he does I'll just fail the exam or something. This would be a lot easier for Lord Sarutobi if he proctored the exams himself, but a group of representatives from Oto have to be judges too. Plus, the written test forms are distributed to both Konoha and Oto so they're gonna be hard, and the practicals aren't gonna be a piece of cake either. So, the sensei aren't gonna bother throwing us into the fray. Most of the people who take the exams are from Oto anyway."

Sakura sighed. "This is going to be difficult; Kakashi's would never recommend me."

"Why? You're someone who's actually into all this stuff," Ino stated.

"I went to Kakashi's house yesterday," Sakura confessed quietly.

Ino nearly dropped her ice cream spoon. "I saw him walking home at like, six! When did you leave? I was at my window for an hour and I didn't see you."

"I think I left around ten," Sakura recalled.

"Holy shit! Are you his girlfriend?" Ino asked; which was a polite way of asking "are you fucking him?"

"No! How could you think that?" Sakura chastised. "I was just there to ask him to train me. But I wake up on his couch at like, ten at night, and he's _drunk._ He declines my request for him to train me, saying all this stuff about how he doesn't want me hurt or dead and making up these crappy excuses. He just didn't want to be bothered," Sakura surmised bitterly.

"Well you can't ask my dad, he'd be brutal not to mention he doesn't know how to teach. Did you try the library?" Ino tried to be helpful—she supported her friend with everything.

"Yeah, they don't give out ninja books to ninja. How lame is that?" Sakura smiled when Ino choked on her root beer, laughing.

"How stupid is that? Oh my god...that's hilarious! Ironic...oh my god...choking...dying. Ok, I'm alright," Ino said, composing herself.

Sakura laughed. "Yeah, I know."

"So, try to find someone else. I think I know the perfect person," Ino said with a wink.

"Who?" Sakura was oblivious.

"Gods, talk about slow. I mean _Sasuke._" Ino smirked when she saw the horrified, embarrassed look on her friend's face.

"I didn't even think of it. I guess he could help me. The Uchihas' did have a lot of resources, and he had to have gotten his training from somewhere. I haven't seen him around either; or Naruto. Oh crap! What if he got to Sasuke first?" Sakura asked, suddenly realizing that Naruto had been MIA for the past week.

"Having hot foxy sex!" Ino sighed dreamily.

Sakura sighed. "In your dreams. Foxy, yes. More like demon foxy."

"Well, you should go see him when you got the time. Dad thinks I'm at the training grounds. You're lucky; you don't have parents to confront every day." Ino eyed a man who was walking with his girlfriend down the street. She was clinging onto his arm and chewing wads of gum. "No wonder he's screwing me...she looks annoying," Ino said once they walked past.

"What? You take people in relationships? Are you _asking _to get hurt?" Sakura asked, astonished.

"I'm careful. Believe me, they aren't about to tell," Ino said, shrugging.

"If that's what you say." Sakura didn't sound convinced.

Ino pushed the float towards her. "I swear. I'm gonna be fine. You can trust me! Now finish this and go see Sasuke."

**XxXxXx**

_Just a little longer...I hope...or maybe another week?_

Naruto's eyes were closed, his vision black. He felt his arms grow even heavier and tired. He had officially lost the use of his fingers. First it had been his legs, toes, then head, mouth, and eyes in that order, and now fingers.

The bed was wet underneath him. He felt another bladder release coming on now. After all, he couldn't control it.

_Why can't I just be asleep when this all happens?_

Kyuubi had gotten tired of just gaining energy from the boy's food. So, every few months, he would eat away Naruto's chakra which caused an almost-complete shutdown of his body. It was a gruesome process that lasted for a week at the most, and although Naruto was used to it, he didn't hate it any less than he had five years ago.

He felt his sheets grow wetter. _Yup, I did it again. Son of a bitch..._

The cleanup process was even worse than the actual process itself. Naruto hated cleaning his sheets after his deprivation. Not to mention how hungry and weak he would be.

Naruto would smile if he could. _The garbage I forgot to take out will be hell...the dishes will have crusted over by now. I shouldn't have bought milk. And my roach problem is just going to get worse. Not to mention I haven't trained at all. I hope the roaches don't pick at my cuts like they did last time...that's gonna be a bitch._

He wanted to sigh. _Well, just gotta wait for a while...hopefully when I wake up I can at least use my legs._

**XxXxXx**

"_**I swear. I'm gonna be fine. You can trust me! Now finish this and go see Sasuke."**_

Sakura sighed. _If only it were that easy Ino_, she thought.

The roseate-haired girl stood outside Sasuke's house. When the Uchihas died, all of their houses were given away for free. It was like the Uchihas never lived in Konoha at all. All Sasuke had was his home and the old 'Uchiha Sweet Rice Crackers' shop, which was now owned by an elderly couple and called 'Sweets Rice Crackers'.

Still, he had spacious lawns that separated his house from the others. He probably owned the most acreage in Konoha. The Uchihas lived in the plains of Konoha, which were abounding with short, pale-green grass and scarce trees. To Sakura, it seemed one of few areas that were peaceful.

She knocked on the door to the two-story house, tense. Her muscles always seized whenever she sensed an uncomfortable situation was going to happen. Sasuke answered the door not a second before she was about to knock again.

She wasn't sure if he was happy to see her, as his expression was unreadable. "What?" he asked.

"Um, Sasuke. It's been a while. A week, in fact." Sakura sounded so lame in her own ears. When he didn't say anything, she continued. "I was just wondering how you've been. What have you been doing?"

"Training, what do you think?" Sasuke replied, as if she had asked him the most obvious question in the world.

"Ah. Um, well, about that," Sakura shifted, not being able to find good words, "I was just thinking...perhaps...well, seeing as how...uh...don't you think we should be seeing each other?"

Sasuke stared at her in confusion.

"Well, what I mean is that we're a team. You, me, and Naruto—we're Team 7. We can't spend these three months without seeing each other once. I mean, there's no point in even being called a team if none of us train together and the sensei is a stupid drunken moron who refuses to...er..." Sakura had accidentally let that last bit about Kakashi slip.

Sasuke's expression went from confusion to surprise in a flash. "He was drunk?"

_Well, the cat's out of the bag already, so... _"Yeah. I went to him yesterday asking for training, and he refused! And he's called a sensei...how is that even right?"

Sasuke's string of low-tone profanities startled Sakura. He looked her up and down with those black eyes of his that made her shiver. "Did he hurt you?"

Sakura's arm surged in pain as he said that. She quelled the pain with a smile. "No, of course not!"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "...What other reason are you here?"

Sakura knew he suspected something. "Well...because Kakashi-sensei can't train me, can you?"

"What?"

"Are you training Naruto already? Because I haven't seen him since day one," Sakura said, not liking his tone.

"No. And I can't train you." Sasuke was horrified. No one had ever asked him to train them before.

"Why not? You're strong, and you have access to all these materials!" Sakura pressed.

"I...I can't handle the responsibility of being your sensei, and..." Sasuke couldn't think of a good excuse.

"Please? I really need you to train me. I have no way of developing my skills with the resources I have now. And besides, you and I are on a team! We are committed to helping one another, and this is how you can do your part!"

"We're ninja, Sakura; no one can hold our hands for us in battle," Sasuke said.

"Don't get me started on that, Sasuke! I've heard it hundreds of times before, and guess what? It's _false._ I know how to take care of myself in everyday life, because I've had my parents, and now I'm old enough to learn without their help. And right now, I'm like a baby in ninja clothing—I know so _little _and if people keep on telling me I have to do it myself, I'll take what _little _I know to battle and die. Once I hit Tokujo or even Jounin rank, _then _I can take care of myself, but even as a Chuunin I'm still going to need guidance! I'm an adult in the real world, but not in the real world of shinobi. Why doesn't anyone understand that?"

Sasuke's eyes wandered. _The problem is she's right. But still..._

"Or maybe you don't think I can handle it." Sakura spoke in a determined voice.

Sasuke chortled. "I'm not stupid enough to take a bet I'll win easily. I like challenges."

"As do I, Sasuke."

"I don't care. You can find some other way to sharpen yourself; but I'm not doing it."

Sakura's too-gentle hands formed into fists. "...If you don't train me," she said in a defiant voice, "then I'm not leaving here."

Sasuke's brow arched. The last thing he needed was a girl starving to death at his front door. "I'm not training you."

"I'm not leaving until you say yes." And to accentuate her point, she stood straight up and down and planted her feet on the ground.

Sasuke groaned. "Do you really want me to _make _you leave?"

It was clear by Sakura's expression that she wasn't going anywhere. Sasuke shook his head, and then smirked with such wickedness dancing on his face that it caused the kunoichi to draw in more breath than usual. She blinked, and Sasuke was in front of her, grabbing her arm and throwing her up in the air.

Sakura barely had time to react when the ground grew far away. Sasuke jumped up to meet her and she tried to punch him. Her fragile arms were easily blocked by his muscular ones. He grabbed her wrist, twisted her arm, and threw her behind him. Sakura had no time to think of what to do when Sasuke came up in front of her and placed his hand on her stomach and sent out bursts of chakra to propel him in the opposite direction, pushing her into the ground.

All breath was knocked out of her at the impact, when his hand pressed so far down into her stomach she was afraid he would tear through her skin. He flew away from her and went into a fighting stance. All she could do was lay there and try to catch her breath. She didn't have time to stand up before he was going at it again, kicking her in the side and back up into the air. She anticipated this and threw her legs out to catch her fall. She crumpled onto her knees and ducked just in time to avoid his punch. She shot her hands up and grabbed his arm, sending chakra into her arms to try and bind him to her temporarily while her fist went to his stomach.

Her fist was blocked by his leg, which he kicked up, catching her arm in a painful kick. He did a complete vertical three-sixty and kicked her chin up, sending her up into the air once air. Dazed by the attack, she blindly punched at him.

_She's so basic,_ Sasuke thought while he avoided her punches. _I can tell she's trying so hard to win, but she's screwing up badly. She's only doing clumsy guesswork and doesn't calculate beyond one move, she's attacking without thought, and she hasn't used one jutsu or weapon. But there's still potential._

Sakura landed on the ground and moved her hands in front of her as a shield from Sasuke's straight-kick. Instead of being deflected, Sasuke walked on her shield and flipped behind her. Her eyes widened, and in a split second, Sasuke had located and squeezed her pressure point, and she blacked out.

Sasuke watched her faint. She was sweating heavily, and her breathing was labored. _She's working too hard for such simple moves...Maybe, just maybe..._

**XxXxXx**

"Naruto!"

_Is that you, Iruka-sensei? Iruka-sensei, I'm in here. Keep walking, please..._

"Naruto, your house is filthy _again?_ How many times do we have to clean it before you understand that you can actually keep it clean?"

_Iruka...please..._

Iruka Umino was holding a shopping bag full of different instant ramen that dropped to the floor as he stepped into Naruto's room. He should have known what had happened when he noticed the roaches crawling all over the dishes that were growing fungi and the rotting garbage cans.

Naruto was lying on his bed, the sheets soaked with three things Iruka nearly vomited from. The stench was unbearable. Roaches were crawling all over the poor boy, who appeared dead to the untrained eye.

Iruka put all things aside after his well-being and rushed over to Naruto. "Naruto! Can you hear me?" he asked.

_Iruka...I can...I want to _"talk..."

Iruka gazed at him in surprise. Naruto's mouth was moving, though his voice sounded dry and weak. About a minute later, his eyes opened, and after days of blindness the light and Iruka's face with his nose scar was a nice sight.

"It was the kyuubi's feeding week! Why didn't you tell me as soon as you felt symptoms? How long have you been like this?" Iruka asked, picking Naruto up and moving him to the clean floor.

"When was...the graduation?" Naruto asked, finding it hard to move his eyes around.

"Over a week ago," Iruka answered, beginning to strip him of his disgustingly dirty clothes.

"...The day after the first team meeting. Heh, hope I haven't missed much..." Naruto said frailly.

"You should have told me, you can always come to me. You know that," Iruka stated affectionately.

"...Was stupid...hah...good thing Sakura and Sasuke don't know where I live...that way they don't have to know." Naruto stared up at the ceiling. A roach skittered past him.

"I'm going to need to clean up your house. You come first however." Iruka was having a particularly tough time getting Naruto's clothes around his seized muscles. He sighed. He was going to have to do it the hard way. "This is going to hurt like a bitch."

He took Naruto's arms and bent them with a quick jerk. An excruciating scream ripped through his body as Iruka bent all of his limbs, a painful but necessary process to prevent muscle damage.

The last thing Naruto wanted to do was cry in front of his former sensei, the one who had taught him morals, something the blond had never appreciated. Even with that in mind, Iruka treated him like a son. Weakly, he stood up, his legs shaking.

"There you go. Here, give me the rest of your clothes; go to the bathroom and take a shower. A nice, long, hot one, okay?" Iruka noted Naruto's try-to-be-tough demeanor as he shrugged off the rest of his clothing.

"I can't afford long, hot showers. The plumbing company has us pay more cuz we live farther than it usually takes." Naruto was holding onto his wall for support.

Iruka shook his head. "I'll pay for it. Just...do it."

Naruto complied and slowly made his way towards the bathroom. Iruka watched him leave and turned to look at his bed. The sheets were horribly dirty. The brunette knew he'd have to get new sheets. _I'm going to stay with him and help clean up his house, again. This time, we need to keep it clean._

Naruto felt so much better as the hot liquid washed away all the repulsive matters that had collected on his skin. He wanted to tell Iruka everything. About his first meeting with his team, about Sakura and Sasuke, about his blood oath, about his goals and dreams, and about training. Naruto wanted to see Kakashi as soon as possible concerning training.

_Every few months, there's a week where I can't even wipe my own ass...but...hell, if I can't do it I gotta have someone do it for me, and if that person's gonna do that then they have the right to say and do whatever they want to me._

Naruto would probably be dead without Iruka. What hurt him the most was that Iruka was so fragile.

About a half-hour later, Naruto came out with dripping-wet hair and a fresh body. Naruto looked his room over and saw Iruka piling things into cleaning piles. He smiled widely. "This is gonna be exciting."

**XxXxXx**

Whew, done! Now that was a long chapter for me. Quite fun though. I know that Sakura's story has a larger spotlight than the others, but her story (and Naruto's) are meant to be the biggest, so they'll naturally span over several chapters easily, whereas the other character's stories (Hinata, Ino) are smaller and therefore need less page numbers. That was my first fighting scene in the chapter. I was originally going to have Sakura leave but I thought it'd be cooler if she stayed. So, poor Naruto. Yes, I really feel bad for the guy. At least he has Iruka to make him feel better! And, about his whole happy self, he's not the character who depresses easily. Sure, he's miserable when it happens, but he's optimistic.


	3. Secrets

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
****Slight AU warning.  
****Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!**

Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja triggers a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?

Note: _Italicized lines _often mean thoughts of a character or in some cases dreams. **Bolded lines **often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. **_Bolded italicized lines_ **often mean flashbacks.

The Author Speaks: There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information given.There will be limes/_possible _lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes.

Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except most of the characters are fifteen instead of thirteen. Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire. And yes, you guessed it! The Otokage is Orochimaru. Kakashi never lost his eye.

Definitions:

Nindo – ninja way (ever notice they always say it like "my nindo – my ninja way!" it gets annoying)  
Kekkei Genkai – bloodline limit

Songs: "Sakura Drops" by Utada Hikaru (for Sakura)  
"Cruel to Be Kind" by Letters to Cleo  
"Born To Lead" by Hoobastank

**Show Me a Hero**

**_Chapter 3 – Secrets _**

Kakashi blocked an oncoming kunai with a quick chakra burst in front of him. Sasuke was approaching, looking livid.

"You stupid moron."

Kakashi chuckled at the not-so-subtle greeting.

He was sitting on an old monument, rusty and decayed by nature and time. It was for the creator of Konohagakure, Lord Sarutobi's short-lived father. The monument also had quite a few notches from weapon blades.

"I'm glad you think so," he replied, throwing the kunai back at the boy who caught it easily.

Sasuke stopped at the foot of the monument and looked up at his sensei. "You were drunk again."

"Oh no, I've been found out. I guess I'm grounded again."

"It's not funny!" Sasuke spat. "What good are you to me if you can't even walk? Not to mention you trampled all over Sakura's spirit."

Kakashi's smile faded. "...look, she just came at a bad time."

Sasuke's short bangs pointed at the monument s the breeze swept by. The stars were just beginning to turn on, and the temperature was dropping quickly. "She wants me to train her. Because you denied her."

"I have good reasons to deny her. And if Naruto comes along, he won't get any farther than she did," Kakashi said.

"You didn't with me," Sasuke said.

"There's a reason for that, and you know it." Kakashi took out a flask and unscrewed the cap, moving it out of range of a kunai and took a large swig.

Sasuke made a face. "...I'm going to do it."

"You're filling her with false hope. You _did _hear her nindo, correct? Then you'll know the battle is doomed."

"I've witnessed her fighting skills firsthand and I will not make any promises to what you say. Remember, the only reason I'm letting you train me is so I can learn the skills I don't have access to. Once I've learned all I can from you – which isn't much, I'll have surpassed you. Don't you find that the least bit pathetic?" Sasuke asked, crossing his arms.

"Well, seeing as how I'm not that great it means nothing more than you're a little better than average." Kakashi took another large swig.

"I know you want to be more," Sasuke said in a coaxing voice. "You could put down the bottle for three seconds, pick up a book, and you'd be a lot greater."

He turned. "I'm cancelling today's session. I need to go back home and take care of something."

"You know Sakura and Naruto would never be able to forgive you if they found out about our little sessions." Kakashi shook his head, smirking.

"I don't intend to tell them," Sasuke said, leaving.

**XxXxXx**

Sakura opened her eyes just as Sasuke returned. She sat up and held her head in response to a jolt of pain. _Ugh...that fight really hurt._

Her stomach hurt and she felt very woozy, even after some rest. Looking around, she had a feeling that she was in Sasuke's home, what with books scattered everywhere.

_It seems like I've been waking up in other people's houses lately..._

Sasuke entered the parlor and acknowledged her with a stare. He threw something at her, which bounced off her chest and onto her lap. It was a pack of pain-relieving tablets.

"Thank you," she said, popping a few in her mouth. The pain went away almost instantly.

"You have crap reflexes," he responded.

**What the hell kind of you're welcome is that? I ought to kick his ass!**

_We tried that already, _Sakura pointed out to her inner self. _It didn't really have the effect we wanted._

"Thanks for the insult. My reflexes are only as good as the next civilians. I'm not entirely sure how to improve them. Throw kunai at myself? But we're already been through what I'm unable to do," the pink-haired girl said, not kindly.

"Be here two days from now at eight sharp. Bring your weapons and any other shinobi materials." Sasuke crossed over to a pile of books and picked it up, throwing it at Sakura, who attempted to catch it. It hit her palm painfully and fell onto the couch. "Bring that too."

Sakura picked it up. "'The True Meaning of Being a Ninja: A Statement'," she read. "Wait...does this mean...you'll train me?"

"Your revelation is dead-on. Read that for our first session. You'll notice everything in it was probably not told to you in school."

"Thank you so much. Really, you don't know how much this means to me!" Sakura almost cried. She had been having such a rough week, and finally she was given some sort of respite in the form of her teammate.

Sasuke continued. "It's not going to be easy. I want you to get as healthy a sleep as possible, do not overeat or diet, and make sure you have as much chakra as you are able to hold before you come to training. You have to clear your schedule for training outside of sessions."

Sakura nodded fervently. "I will! I'm ready to train as hard as I can. I'll be ready for the exams before you know it!"

"Enthusiasm is useless without strength, and strength is useless without enthusiasm," Sasuke recited. "Remember that."

"I will, Sasuke-sensei!" she said with a giggle.

He scowled. "It's just Sasuke."

**XxXxXx**

The two days seemed to go by so slowly. Sakura absorbed herself in the book Sasuke had given her—it was a real eye opener. Ninja had to be prepared to take on many things; pain, climate endurance, self-sacrifice, deaths of friends, strict guidelines, and the weight of an entire village on their shoulders. She knew they had rough lives, but never this rough. She had never thought of shinobi in such a way because she hadn't found one she could respect, other than Sasuke. Sure, Naruto's ideas she respected, but she couldn't think of him as a ninja just yet.

One day, she had gone out for some fresh air and decided to take a detour to see what her former classmates were doing. Hinata was out with Kiba at a bar. Kiba was very drunk and was clinging to Hinata like a fly on flypaper. She was helping him out the bar, looking repulsed. Shikamaru was nowhere to be found, and she assumed he was home, being lazy. Chouji was at a supermarket with his father, buying food. Ino was shopping, buying an absurd amount of skimpy clothing. Shino was usually sulking around at a park, watching insects while smoking (which Sakura found pointless, as the bugs were chased away by the smoke coming from the cigarette). Naruto was cleaning his house with Iruka, which disappointed Sakura. She had expected him to have been absent for a week because of training.

Sasuke was a very brusque person. Without a greeting, he quizzed her on what she had learned from the reading. After being apparently pleased by her answers, he instructed her to follow him to the Uchiha training ground.

There, he gave her instructions to use all of the jutsu she knew. He glowered after she was finished with the few she had mastered.

"Your knowledge is pathetic. I will give you credit for one thing, however—you are releasing perfect amounts of chakra for each jutsu. I assume you don't know the correct amounts from the school's textbooks, do you?" he asked.

"Not at all. It's just something that comes naturally. I just know when I don't need any more, because I get this feeling. It's hard to describe," she replied.

"Amazing...you have perfect chakra control," Sasuke said, sounding awed. "I would have never thought it."

"What? Why's it so amazing?" Sakura asked.

"Your unseasoned mind probably thinks everyone has perfect chakra control. That's not true. In fact, that's one of the things most shinobi struggle with; chakra distribution. You were born with the uncanny ability to figure out the correct amounts of chakra without prior knowledge."

Sakura was stunned. "Really? I...I never knew. But how? I'm from a non-shinobi family."

"It's actually more common in non-shinobi families, though I don't know the reason. If you can expand the amount of chakra you can hold...this could make you very powerful. Plus we don't have to dedicate any sessions to teaching chakra control. It looks like you're already ahead," Sasuke voiced.

"You can just call that extra credit," Sakura joked.

Sasuke didn't laugh. "Let's begin with warm-ups."

The training session was long and very tiring. Sakura had never worked so hard in her life. Sasuke pushed her to her limits. Warm-ups were a half-hour, and the session was filled with ninjutsu ("You didn't use one jutsu when we fought that day; you need to learn how to use it in the heat of combat"). Sasuke assaulted her at various levels, always increasing his strength and speed when he deemed her improving. He always shouted tips ("don't use jutsu that take a long time to activate if I'm so close to you!") and criticism ("you call that an attack? Stop dancing around like a monkey and actually _hit_ me!") while they sparred.

By the end of the session, which had lasted until late afternoon, Sakura had learned the fundamentals of ninjutsu and had cracked the surface of taijutsu, by far her more problematic subject.

Once they returned to the house, she collapsed on the couch, exhausted and out of chakra.

"That was a good lesson; you're eager," he said.

"You're killing me," she gasped.

"If that's what it takes to get you to improve, then that's what I'll do," Sasuke stated.

"How can you have so much endurance? You don't look very tired."

"Believe me, I'm tired. I just don't flaunt it like you do." He was marking off pages in a boisterous volume.

Sakura groaned when she saw the clock. "It's already three? I can't handle this."

"Don't complain, you took several breaks. There will be less of those once you develop more." Sasuke threw her a few books, two of which she was able to catch with dirty and aching hands. The other one hit her in the head, which annoyed her.

"Read those. They're on ninjutsu techniques, chakra use, and taijutsu basics. I want you to master all of the jutsu on the pages I've marked, and start building up your chakra immediately. The taijutsu you don't need to worry about much; just read through it and attempt a style you think you're able to tackle. We'll see how much you've improved two days from now, same time."

Sakura, who had been reading through all the marked pages, nearly had a heart attack. "Two days?! That's crazy! I can't learn all of this in two days!"

"You should get started then. Ninja can't take forever to learn," Sasuke affirmed. "I told you it wasn't going to be easy. Now, if you're done complaining, go home."

"Alright, fine...Sasuke-sensei," the kunoichi grumbled.

"Don't call me sensei."

"Sasuke-kun."

"Whatever."

**XxXxXx**

Hinata hated it when Kiba attached himself to her. She felt like he always suffocated her with his gruff figure, and he wasn't a comforting person either. Today, he had his arm around her in a way that almost looked like he was choking her with his arm joint.

They were walking around the marketplace, eating sweets dubbed 'snow puffs' that were only available near the beginning of winter. Hinata had a fondness for sweets and the wintertime. Kiba on the other hand hated snow, and usually remained indoors, chewing on jerky.

Hinata shivered when a cold breeze ran through her. Kiba squeezed her closer to him. "You cold?"

"Not anymore," Hinata said unenthusiastically. Now she just felt more suffocated.

"Winter sucks. You can't run around without your legs freezing off." Kiba scowled.

"It's a beautiful time of year. You should appreciate it more. The sparkling snow, the pearl skies..."

"Snow gets everywhere and is a bitch to shovel. Not to mention everyone starts serving hot chocolate with everything. I hate hot chocolate."

"That's just you, Kiba," Hinata said with a slight giggle. She especially loved hot cocoa, with two large marshmallows, cinnamon, and some whipped cream to top it off. Some mint didn't hurt either.

"Me and three other people. They should think of the minorities more," he complained.

Hinata noticed a woman selling homemade quilts. One of them had a pattern of white foxes, which made the black-haired girl smile. She wormed away from Kiba's chokehold and ambled over to the storefront. She inspected the quilt. The foxes made her think of a certain blond-haired boy she knew.

"Do you like it?" the woman asked, abandoning the counter and standing next to Hinata.

"I-It's cute," Hinata said. "They look very warm."

"Quilting's the only thing I can do well. I love the winter; it brings home money for me and the kids."

Hinata felt dispirited from the woman's view on winter. The woman noticed her headband around Hinata's neck. "You're a ninja?"

"Y-Yes," Hinata said.

The woman became nostalgic. "My husband was a ninja too. He wasn't a very good one, but they had to send him on a high-ranked mission a few years ago...he was killed. Sometimes I wonder why we're still a hidden village. These quilts remind me of him. We met when my quilt blew away in the wind, and he caught it for me."

"Oh..." Hinata wondered if Neji was sent on any high-ranked missions. "I think I'll buy one."

Kiba approached the store. "Hinata, what's taking you? Let's get going."

"I'll be a minute." Hinata picked out the fox quilt. "I'll take this one."

The woman smiled. "I'll ring it up for you." She turned to Kiba. "I bet your boyfriend would like one too."

Hinata doubted it, but she humored the woman. "D-Do you want one too, Kiba?" she asked. "Kiba?"

Kiba was staring at the woman with a frightened look on his face. He began to shake. "Hinata, let's get out of here. I don't want one."

The woman sighed. "I guess you wouldn't. I don't want to push it on you."

Kiba grabbed Hinata's arm. "Let's go."

"Wait! I want a quilt, K-Kiba! Please."

"No! I said let's go. Are you fucking deaf?" Kiba asked, dragging her away.

"Kiba, p-please! Let go of me!" Hinata yelled, trying to pull away.

Kiba whipped around to face her. "Shut up!"

A group of girls who were standing by a dollar store noticed the couple. A redhead yelled at Kiba. "Let her be you freak!"

Kiba bared his teeth angrily and looked at who had yelled. His expression went from anger to fear as the group advanced. "Get away from us!" he yelled in a crazed voice, running from them, poor Hinata being yanked along.

They rounded a pedestrian-free corner and Kiba threw Hinata up against a picket fence. He boxed her in with his hands, giving her a vicious look. "I told you to leave. Why the _fuck _did you have to make me suffer through that?"

"Suffer t-through what?" Hinata demanded, afraid. "You were being u-unreasonable!"

"Me? You're the one talking to strange women, trying to buy useless shit!" Kiba snarled.

"Strange women? She was just trying to sell me something!"

"Don't ever draw attention to me like that again."

"You're the one who was drawing it to yourself!"

Kiba punched Hinata. "Those women were so goddamn _close _to me. I don't want any women like them near me again. Don't you _fucking _make up excuses!"

Hinata clutched her cheek, with began to burn. "I'm n-not! Why are you so afraid of them? Do y-you know them?"

"Why the fuck would I know them! I hate them all!"

"How can you hate them if you don't know them?!"

Kiba grabbed her and threw her to the ground. "Don't talk back to me, stupid bitch!" He kicked her.

"K-Kiba, stop it!"

"How _dare _you scare me like that. You think that it's funny, doing that to me do you?!" he kicked her again and once more when she didn't answer. "Do you?!"

She scrambled up, coughing and doubled over in pain. "What did I do to you?"

"Don't deny it you fucking bitch!" he yelled, grabbing her by her hair and throwing her against the fence.

Hinata cried as he beat her furiously, yelling at her about things she didn't understand. She had no idea what she did wrong. She didn't know why Kiba had been so afraid of that woman and that group of girls. She just wanted to buy a quilt.

Kiba left her on the ground, curled in a fetal position and crying. He walked home in a bad mood, kicking rocks and yelling at spectators.

He arrived home noisily, slamming the door as loudly as possible. "FUCKING DAMNIT!" he screamed.

"What's wrong with you?" he heard his older sister Hana ask.

He didn't want to turn and face her. He felt his fear returning. "Please tell me Mom isn't home."

"She is, and she'll be pissed from your yelling," Hana stated.

The Haimaru Triplets were snoozing in a corner up until Kiba arrived. They were now gazing at him angrily, annoyed from the interruption of their sleep. Kiba stuck his tongue out at them. Hana rolled her eyes. "You have major immaturity issues. I thought you were with Hinata?"

"Not anymore obviously," Kiba spat.

"Raise your voice at me again and you'll regret it."

Butterflies flew around his stomach. His voice dropped to a frightened whisper. "Please don't..."

Hana smirked. "That's more like it. Be a good little boy and go get Akamaru. He's playing outside."

Kiba obediently went outside and found the little dog swiping at a butterfly. He smiled in amusement. "Hey, Akamaru! Time to go inside!"

Akamaru turned and, when he noticed Kiba, barked happily and dashed towards him, jumping at him.

Kiba caught him easily and laughed. "Don't hurt yourself little guy."

He put the dog down, who ran through the open door. As Kiba walked in, however, he was met with a _very _hard slap to the face.

Kiba fell to the ground, completely unaware of what just happened. He gazed up at his angry mother, and his pupils contracted when he saw her angry face.

"M-Mom..."

"You really are an idiot. You come into _my _house, yelling and interrupting my work. You stupid, worthless brat. Do something like that again and I'll rip your head off."

Kuromaru appeared at her side, gazing down at him with his one eye. "Kiba, listen to her."

Kiba had crawled into the corner, shaking and terrified, his eyes watering. Akamaru yipped at him but was silenced with a gaze from Kuromaru.

"Were you out training?" she asked.

"I-I..."

"He was out with Hinata again," Hana said to her.

_Damnit Hana...ratting me out..._

Kiba winced when his mother raised her clawed hands angrily. "You spend too much time with her! I'm sure she's sick of you by now; get back to training! I will not have a son as brainless as you. I quit being a ninja after this village stopped appreciating what shinobi were; but that doesn't mean I'm letting you!"

"Please Tsume, go easy on him today," Kuromaru asked.

Kiba's hands were covering his face defensively. To Kuromaru, he looked so small, crouched in the corner, hiccupping from his swallowed cries.

His mother lowered her hand. "Fine. Hana, Kuromaru, come help me upstairs. Kiba! No more seeing Hinata this week. Train."

Kiba nodded, wiping his face. Once they were upstairs, Akamaru crossed over to Kiba and jumped on his knee, licking away his tears. Kiba hiccupped again and smiled. "You're tickling me you idiot." He flicked the dog on the nose, who yipped happily and chased his tail in an effort to cheer Kiba up.

Kiba picked Akamaru up and set him on the counter. "...Fuck. I can't see Hinata again. Do you think she'll be angry?"

Akamaru cocked his head.

"Nah, I didn't think so either."

**XxXxXx**

Naruto whistled gaily, a shopping bag filled with goods swinging from his arm. Iruka and he had just finished cleaning and organizing his cramped house. The roaches had been taken care of, and the blond was ready to begin training with his favorite sensei.

He rounded the corner, the dark street empty and filled with the sounds of a sniffling girl. Naruto stopped and scrutinized the road, and found the noise coming from a heap in the corner.

"Hinata-chan?" he asked.

Said girl silenced, gulping loudly. "N-Naruto-kun?"

Naruto strolled over to her. His eyes widened and he dropped his bag, buckling down to her eye level. "What happened?" he demanded.

Hinata was covered in cuts and bruises. Her eye was swollen and the damaged skin around it was turning a nasty yellow color. She shook her head. "I-It's nothing."

"Nothing my ass. What happened?!"

"I-I was training..." Hinata was beginning to feel like the excuse was becoming hackneyed.

"You trained _this _hard? Are you serious?" Naruto was filled with an angry wonder.

"I-I didn't k-know when to s-stop, I guess." Hinata forced a laugh.

Naruto put his hand to her cheek, and began to trace her wounds. Hinata froze. His calloused touch was comforting, and her stomach began to churn in agitation. He surveyed her reactions when his fingers brushed over an injury. She winced, and he sighed.

"You need medical attention. You can't do this to yourself," he voiced in a troubled tone.

"I w-want to be strong." Hinata wasn't lying there.

"You won't be very strong if you die of overwork." Naruto took her arm and delicately picked her up off the ground.

Hinata reclined against the fence, her eye throbbing. A tear trickled down her face. Naruto caught it with his finger, brushing it away gently. The girl hope Naruto wouldn't notice the blush creeping up her cheeks.

"Take a break. I myself am going to start training soon; but I'm definitely not going be as drastic as you." Naruto moved away from her.

Hinata noticed his baggy black shirt was open slightly. His hairless chest seemed perfect in so many ways, Hinata fought off the urge to bury herself in it.

"I don't like staying inside much," she professed.

Naruto look thoughtful for a minute. "Then..." his eyes lit up, "spend tomorrow with me."

"A-A-Ah? What?" _To spend time with Naruto-kun...would be the best time of my life._

He grinned goofily. "Take a break, and spend some time with me. Actually, I'm going to start training tomorrow, so how about in a few days? Wednesday, that sound good to you?"

"T-T-That sounds..." _Amazing, wonderful, great, fantastic._

"Alright then, it's a date! I hope Kiba doesn't mind."

Hinata kicked herself mentally. _Of course Kiba will mind! But, I can never say no to Naruto-kun..._

"I'll see you then, okay Hinata? I'll come pick you up." Naruto fetched his dropped bag. "I gotta go; Iruka-sensei's probably starving."

Hinata watched him walk away, and turn and wave. A smile splayed across her face. _Naruto-kun..._

She walked home, smiling all the way despite her pain. When she arrived home, Neji was reading at the kitchen table. Ingredients for dinner were spread across the counter.

"I-I'm home," she announced quietly.

Neji nearly jumped out of skin. The magazine he was reading disappeared under the table. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

"I'm sorry," she said while bowing apologetically. She didn't bother pointing out that Neji could have sensed her arrival had he been paying enough attention.

He spun the chair around. His lips went crooked. "The hell happened to you?"

_Not again..._ "Training difficulties."

He pursed his lips. _More like Kiba difficulties._ "Sure, you say that. So, does that mean you're too hurt to cook dinner?" he asked, expecting her negative answer.

"M-My eye hurts...I'm going to put on a healing pad and lie down for a l-little while."

"Sure. Of course you can't cook. You break a nail and you can't do anything. Fine, I'll call you when it's ready. Don't let Hanabi see you, she'll freak out."

Hinata bowed again and slid open the door to the hall. Neji waited until she was gone, and retrieved the magazine from under the table. The pages contained heaps of sexually explicit pictures and dirty stories. He had found it at the library, and decided it was a lot more satisfying than the Icha Icha novels he had stashed in his room.

He turned the page and saw a woman spread-eagle on a bed, with a man on top of her, ready to penetrate. His pants throbbed as he read the article underneath. His hand slipped into his pants while he read on, his fingers tickling his throbbing length. He turned the page and swallowed, sweat beads popping up on his forehead.

He couldn't take it anymore. In a moment's notice he had taken out his length and was stroking it expertly, letting out small grunts of pleasure and he caressed the tip.

He lost track of the time and was only brought back into reality when he felt a warm, sticky substance coat his hands. Looking down at his crotch, he cursed loudly, completely unaware of what he had just done. He tucked it back in, extremely glad that Hinata or Hanabi hadn't walked in. He felt enormously better, and threw the magazine behind the counter, licking his release off his hands and washing them before starting dinner.

**XxXxXx**

"Get your mind out of the gutter!" Sasuke snapped, pivoting his foot and dodging a thrown kunai.

Sakura performed the needed hand symbols and ran at Sasuke, spreading out her fingers. "Trap Web Jutsu!" she yelled.

Webs of chakra flowed from her hands at Sasuke, wrapping around his legs and dragging him to the ground. He slashed them away quickly with shuriken, throwing them at Sakura who caught them in mid-flight and threw them back at him. He reciprocated by throwing five more while she threw them back. The ones meant for him were knocked to the ground while the others whizzed at Sakura. They caught her shoulder and she hissed in pain.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Sasuke yelled, aiming a stream of fire at her.

"Water Style: Inflammable Jutsu!" she countered, her entire body encased in a shield of water, which evaporated from contact.

Sasuke smirked and teleported behind her, holding a kunai up to her neck. She paused in mid-step, ready to jump in the air.

"You're too slow," he whispered into her ear, before slashing the air violently.

Sakura staggered, gasping for breath. Sasuke pocketed the kunai. The training grounds were littered with used weapons.

"You learned a lot from your reading. You're actually fighting with weapons and jutsu now. However, you're misplacing the times when each aspect comes in handy. You might have saved yourself from some painful burns from my Phoenix Flower with your Inflammable, but you could have just as easily used your Tsunami, doused my fire, and brought down my defenses. You'll also observe Tsunami takes less chakra to use." Sasuke walked around, collecting the weapons.

"I-Inflammable is u-useless then?" she asked, her heart pounding.

"Pretty much."

"Then w-why did you have me learn it?"

"Because, all ninja will find themselves faced with decisions to make in battle. All ninja know a few useless jutsu, and they need to prepare for a situation where they must decide which jutsu is useless and which isn't. I shouldn't say a few...a lot of jutsu are useless depending on the situation. It's all connected to quick thinking," Sasuke voiced.

"S-So, Tsunami might be the worse choice? When?" Sakura swayed. She was dehydrated and tired.

"If you're going to a place where you'll have to face boiling water. If you use Inflammable, you have a shield of cool water to protect your body heat. However, if you use Tsunami you'll just spread the boiling water around." Sasuke was holding an armful of kunai and shuriken. He tossed them into a bag. "Those will be cleaned later. I need to teach you weapon maintenance at some point."

He heard a thump behind him, and turned to see Sakura collapsed on the ground. He sighed. "I didn't even give you the homework."

He walked over to her. He examined her face, illuminated by the sun's rays. Her pale skin was flushed and decorated with tiny cuts. Her pink hair stuck to the back of her neck and her sweaty cheeks.

He felt the urge to smile, and fought it with considerable difficulty. He picked her up and carried her inside, laying her on the couch.

The spiky-haired boy went into the kitchen to make two health smoothies. His thoughts were consumed with Sakura.

_I've been tutoring her for a few weeks now, and she's improved a lot by far. Even on her bad days, she's so confident. She might complain a lot, but she's gotten over the whiny stage. I don't think I've ever seen someone so eager to learn. Perhaps she really can achieve her goal._

He chuckled as he dumped the ingredients into his old blender. _But not if she keeps on collapsing._

He mixed the smoothies and poured them into two glasses, and placed them on a tray. He somehow made it into the other room without spilling anything. Sakura was awake and reading a book on medical jutsu.

He placed the tray on the table, and sat next to her. "What are you reading?"

"It's something Naruto got from Iruka. He had to steal it from the library," Sakura added with a laugh. "This stuff interests me."

Sasuke handed her a glass. "Tomato, carrot and mango."

"Odd combination." She took a sip, and smiled. "But quite tasty."

"Your homework is to read 'Advanced Genjutsu for the Rookie Ninja', all of the pages I've marked, and to review the ninjutsu list I composed for you. If you didn't master something on the list do it. Read the first five chapters of 'In the Heat of Battle: Training the Mind'. Also, raise your chakra capacity by at least another three percent."

"When's all this due?" she asked with a tired sigh, taking another sip.

"Next Tuesday." Sasuke downed half of his smoothie, using some chakra to prevent a brain freeze

Sakura lowered her glass from her lips. "Why so long?"

"...I have a quick job to do. I've got taxes and bills to pay too, you know." Sasuke sounded like he didn't want to be reminded.

"We all have that, don't we?" Sakura asked, her heart sinking. Her parents had arrived home for a few days, only to throw a ridiculously minute amount of money at her and take off again. All of her payments rid her of the money she had been given.

"At some point before exams we have to start practicing with Naruto." Sasuke placed his empty glass back on the tray.

"I don't know if he's been training or not. Whenever I stop by he's always goofing around with Iruka. He's also been hanging out with Hinata a lot lately. I wonder if Hinata's caught him. She's liked him forever." Sakura giggled.

"I don't keep up with the gossip. It's all nonsense to me."

"That's you, Sasuke-kun."

"If Naruto is placing his relationship with a girl over his training, then he'll just drag us all down."

Sakura looked shocked. "Sasuke-kun! It's not like we can help who we like. The feelings might go away, but we shouldn't avoid them or neglect them for training."

"You don't seem to be with any boys you like. You can't make a point on something you don't have experience with." Sasuke stood up with the tray.

Sakura glowered at him. "I think you're mistaken."

**Be with any boys you like? He-llo, who does he think HE is?**

_It's just a crush. It really doesn't matter. I don't have any plans to be with him._

**You should. He's so hot. Plus, you've seen him go shirtless during training.**

_T-That was for heat purposes! _

**He was totally showing off.**

_You're just having delusions._

Sakura hit herself in the head, and Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you okay?"

"Don't mind me! Just having some inner conflicts." She smiled. "You know, I really feel like I've learned a lot from you. You're helping me so much..."

"I have my limits," Sasuke admitted, walking into the kitchen to dump the tray and glasses. When he returned, he leaned against the wall opposite Sakura.

"But you've got so many books!"

"Those are not for you. Those are books for the Uchiha clan only."

"What kind of abilities do you have that I can't have?" Sakura inquired.

"...Actually, we have a very powerful kekkei genkai," Sasuke told the kunoichi.

"Kekkei genkai?"

"A bloodline limit. It's an ability only people who share the same blood – siblings, relatives – can have, that's the limit. The Uchiha clan's kekkei genkai is called the Sharingan."

"The...Sharingan? It sounds powerful."

"It's a kekkei genkai centered on the eyes. It allows the user to predict the opponent's moves before even the opponent knows what he's going to do."

"That's amazing!" Sakura said in splendor. "That could really help you out during missions."

"It has its setbacks. It only works for ninjutsu and genjutsu; for taijutsu, it's useless. If I went up against a taijutsu master, my Sharingan would be useless." Sasuke rubbed his eye when he said that. "But..."

"What?"

"The Sharingan has been sealed. I can't use it," Sasuke said bitterly.

This caught Sakura off guard. "Are you serious?"

"Very. We don't want any outsiders to the Uchiha clan learning the secrets of the Sharingan, so when my brother, Itachi, went on a rampage my great-grandfather, the oldest generation to use the Sharingan, set a clan-wide seal on all of us before he was killed. This was to prevent anyone from extracting the Sharingan from us after our deaths." He walked over to Sakura and leaned down, closing his eyes and showing a small black slash traveling through each of them.

"I never noticed those..." the pink-haired girl was at a loss for words.

"Those are my seals. Without the use of Sharingan, I cannot be defined as a member of the Uchiha clan, and therefore hold no rights to the estate or anything that my family owned. I'm living here because Lord Sarutobi petitioned to the Otokage that I could stay."

"That's horrible! You shouldn't be defined because of your birthright," Sakura muttered.

"...That's why my nindo is to unseal the Sharingan, and prove my rights as an Uchiha. I want to rebuild my clan back to its former glory. All my dad wished was for me to grow strong, and that's what I'm planning to do." _Why am I telling this to her? I've never told anyone my goals. I vowed not to establish relationships with anyone._

The two were silent for a minute. Sasuke started when Sakura stood up. "I'll help you!" she declared.

"What?"

"I'll help you achieve your goals. You're helping me, and I'll help you!"

"How can you help me if you're weaker than me?" Sasuke questioned, amused.

"I...I don't know. But I will. That's another vow of mine. To help you get your birthright back." Sakura put her hands on her hips. "Cha!"

"I don't..." _want you to get hurt. _"need your help." Sasuke couldn't get the right words out.

"Too bad then. Because if you don't let me help you..." Sakura looked thoughtful, and giggled. "I won't leave!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You really are..." _funny. _"annoying."

"I know, my friend, I know."

**XxXxXx**

Cheers for some romantic-like scenes! Yes, it's a bit of a cycle. Kiba beats Hinata, Kiba's mom beats Kiba. As for why Kiba freaked out when he was approached by the women, let's save that for another chapter. As for Neji...we'll just call him sexually frustrated. For the songs section, when I say a song's for someone, I'm dedicating to them. It's like a theme song! For next chapter you can expect to see more of Team 10. See you next chapter!


	4. Determination

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
****Slight AU warning.  
****Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!**

Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja triggers a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?

Note: _Italicized lines _often mean thoughts of a character or in some cases dreams. **Bolded lines **often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. **_Bolded italicized lines_ **often mean flashbacks.

The Author Speaks: There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information given.There will be limes/_possible _lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes.

Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except most of the characters are fifteen instead of thirteen. Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire. And yes, you guessed it! The Otokage is Orochimaru. Kakashi never lost his eye.

Definitions:

Itadakimasu – a Japanese term said before eating a meal. Means something along the lines of "good eat" or "happy eating"  
Fizz drink – another term for soda

Songs: "I Found A Way" by Drake Bell  
"I Slept With Someone in Fall Out Boy and All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me" by Fall Out Boy (for Ino)  
"Fully Alive" by Flyleaf (for Hinata)  
"Dive to Blue" by L'Arc-en-Ciel

**Show Me a Hero**

**_Chapter 4 – Determination_**

Hinata Hyuuga hadn't laughed happily in a long time. But on that day, with Naruto by her side, she found absolutely nothing wrong with the world.

The two friends had been seen together much more often as of late. The week had crawled by slowly for Naruto, who had been working out often before going off with Hinata to find a good place to talk and do other friend things.

Hinata often saw Naruto wearing a loose sleeveless orange shirt and black jogging pants. His headband kept his spiky hair out of his tan face. He had the bizarre ability to keep warm in frigid weather; this could be attributed to the kyuubi sleeping inside him. She worried about his health, fretting that he would come down with influenza if he pushed himself too hard. The blond would disregard this with a blissful laugh and disinterest himself with her health concerns.

Today on an exceptionally cold day, Hinata was holding a cup of hot coffee in gloved hands, blowing on it feebly. Naruto, donned in his running suit as always, was letting the hot liquid trickle down his throat satisfactorily. The sun was beginning a slow descent to its job on the other side of the earth.

"I guess the day's gone by quickly this time," Naruto noticed sadly.

"There's always tomorrow." Hinata was less shy around him.

"Tomorrow's one of my all-day training days. Iruka-sensei's been keeping me hard at work. We were a little lax at the beginning, and with the exams looming we gotta make up for lost time." Naruto crumpled up his coffee cup and threw it into an overflowing garbage dump.

"I hope you do well. I'll be rooting for you," Hinata told him.

"You should try and get yourself recommended—the more ninja the merrier!"

Hinata shook her head. "I'm not strong enough. Besides, even if I began to train now...I would never make it with all of the things I have to learn."

"You aren't strong enough because you haven't done diddly about it. You gotta start somewhere." Naruto smiled at her and flicked her headband playfully. "Otherwise you can't wear this proudly."

"You sound like a recruiter," Hinata pointed out. "Although, I guess you're right."

Naruto stared up at the pale blue skies. "It's getting lighter and lighter. I predict snow next week."

"Snow is beautiful. I love the winter." The girl longed for snow.

"It's cool. I guess its a little cold but sometimes the most beautiful things are cold, eh?" Naruto looked at Hinata.

She thought of his meaning and blushed. _Could he be talking about me?_

He yawned and looked over at the busy streets nearby. He noticed a familiar furry grey jacket. "Hey, I think I see your boyfriend!"

Hinata's heart sank. "I-Is that so?"

"Yeah, over there...hey, Kiba!" Naruto waved, beckoning the boy forth.

Hearing his name, Kiba looked up from the display of dog treats. His vision caught his girlfriend with Naruto Uzumaki. He glowered, and waved a hand at the vendor. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and approached them. "Hey."

"Kiba, I haven't seen you anywhere. It's been almost a week. Where've you been? I've had to keep your girlfriend company," Naruto conversed cheerfully.

Hinata prayed that he didn't let anything that might offend Kiba slip. Kiba's sharp black eyes looked from Naruto to Hinata. His mouth shut, he absentmindedly ran his tongue across his canines; a habit he had picked up that meant he was ready to rip someone's throat out. "Oh...that's nice. I've been grounded. Mom had me train three hours a day. It was actually a nice relief, beating on something to let out stress."

Hinata winced as his dog-like eyes flashed a warning glare at her. She looked away, pretending to be fascinated watching the people going by.

"Well, I guess I'll drop you off. Sorry for stealing her." Naruto ran a hand through his blond spikes casually. "I'll be seeing you guys. Great hanging out with you Hinata-chan!"

"See ya Naruto," Kiba said with a very forced smile.

"G-Goodbye Naruto-kun," Hinata murmured.

Said boy headed towards the nearest park, humming to himself. Kiba slowly turned his head to look at her. "Hinata..."

Hinata backed away. She was afraid, but also felt a pit of worry in her stomach lighten. "I-I was worried about you. I didn't k-know where you were."

"Oh yeah, that's believable," Kiba muttered, maddened.

She spoke no lies. "I went to y-your house to see if you were there. Your mother told me you were busy."

Kiba stared at her, skeptical. His senses told him she was being truthful. "...Fine then." He found nothing else to be angry about, so he grinned. "Let's go then! Somewhere warm; I really wanna get out of this crappy weather."

He grabbed her hand and they walked into the crowded streets. Hinata had a right mind not to talk to any vendors.

**XxXxXx**

Naruto yawned again. He was really tired. The chakra he used to keep warm was slowly burning away, taking his strength with it. He made a note to buy something warmer when he had the money.

His favorite park was crowded today; ironic because people in parks were scarce, and in the season where most parks were abandoned, this one was full up. Sort of. The crowd has actually formed a wide circle; all watching something happen in the center while they talked, laughed, and pointed.

Naruto decided pushing through the spectators would be suicide, so he jumped on a bike rack where a few gang members were standing near, and peered over the sea of heads.

He had been expecting to see a brawl of some proportion; instead he was mildly surprised to see his friend and teammate, Sakura Haruno, as the source of the crowd's entertainment. Bundled up in warm clothing and a yellow cape, she was practicing throwing techniques and defensive maneuvers with a kunai, her face scrunched up in concentration. He guessed she was probably devoting some of her energy to ignoring the crowd.

"Lookit this shit," one of the gang members, a brunette Naruto recognized as Jarn.

"I can't believe this. The nerve of her to come here and show off her moves like she's hot stuff. It pisses me off!" said another member, a redhead called Yitsuko.

"She's pretty ugly too. Can't she use some jutsu and cover up her face?" the third banger, Raon, joked. This guaranteed a laugh from his friends.

Naruto scowled. _What right do they have to judge her like that? If they had brains they'd know she's actually pulling off some tough moves._

Sakura wiped some cold sweat off her brow as she let the kunai hang from one finger. She withdrew her hand quickly, the kunai not moving an inch, and right before it began to drop she caught it and made a throwing movement. She cursed mentally when she calculated that the kunai would have gone too far to the east.

She tried again, missing the center by an inch. She knew an inch could spare or kill someone, and wouldn't stop trying until she mastered the bulls-eye. She sensed a projectile coming towards her head, but she chose to ignore it. A mistake, as a rock cracked the back of her head painfully. She let it drop to the ground and began the technique again.

"Some ninja you are! Can't even sense a rock!" yelled someone from the crowd, eliciting laughter.

Another rock was pelted at her, and she ignored it, letting it scrape against her forehead. Pretty soon, pebbles and rocks were being thrown with much more force and she couldn't concentrate. She turned just as a rock was about to crack her nose, holding up the kunai. "Please, stop!"

The rock split in half, uselessly falling. In surprise, Sakura looked at her kunai. She hadn't moved, and she sure as hell didn't use mind-bullets.

Someone was emerging from the crowd, wearing black and orange. Sakura stared at the ridiculously exposed outfit for such weather, before recognizing the red swirl on the sides of the pants. The face helped too, whisker markings defining his features. "Naruto!"

Naruto's left hand was in his pockets, his other hand exposed, with slightly overgrown nails looking sharp and deadly. He gave her a surprisingly serious look and turned to face the crowd, talking to her all the while.

"I guess you're training's going well," he said, observing the people looking at him curiously.

"Sasuke's teaching me much. How goes it with Iruka?" Sakura asked.

"Pretty good. He doesn't have me working as much as you." Naruto then addressed the audience. "Hey! There's nothing special over here; just a kunoichi training! I suggest you all leave and go back to your daily routine."

The crowd, bored with his arrival, departed. Only a few stragglers remained. Sakura sighed gratefully. "Thank you. I was afraid to tell them to leave. I don't fight civilians," she whispered.

"Hey, you! Naruto! What're you doing? You're getting in the way!" Jarn yelled.

His aqua eyes fell upon the gangster. "...Why don't you leave too? She's busy."

"Don't tell me what to do," he hissed. "That's the problem with all you fucking ninja. You think you're so great just because you can throw a star around and cling to trees and shit. But you really can't do anything!"

Naruto smirked. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really! All you freaks do is go to class and bang, you're a ninja. You get the headband and then go do whatever the fuck you want, without any regard for us. Protect Konoha _my ass!_ This dump is like this because of you!"

"Me, or shinobi?" Naruto asked calmly.

"You _and _the shinobi," Yitsuko spat.

Jarn nodded. "The shinobi do nothing. They take money greedily and use it for their own luxuries. We civilians actually do shit, but shinobi do nothing! Otogakure's the way it is because its ninja go on missions and get money and protect their village. I haven't seen a decent ninja here every since I was a kid."

"And you," Raon added, "don't help. You should be run out of this hellhole. How the hell do we know if that fucking fox'll stay put?"

Naruto shrugged. "I guess you should ask it, then. I wouldn't know. I should really go kill myself, right? Because I house a demon fox that decided to eat half the population of Konoha and destroy everything? That's my fault. Didn't I tell you to go away?"

"You don't tell us what to do. Until I see a reason why I should listen to you, then I'll continue disrespecting the trash you shinobi are." Jarn lobbed another rock at Naruto, who slashed it in half.

"Naruto..." Sakura whispered.

Naruto shook his head. "I don't have the same moral code as you." He wiped his nose. "Look, go away or I'll kick your asses. That simple."

"Fuck you!" Jarn yelled, running at him, fist clenched, ready to punch.

Naruto strolled casually toward him. Jarn threw his punch, and Naruto caught it. Jarn winced as Naruto's grip on his fist tightened painfully. He dug his nails into the gangster's skin and sent chakra pouring into his arm, throwing the young man over his shoulder as easily as a light sack of flour.

He hit the ground with oomph, and Naruto continued walking towards Raon and Yitsuko. Yitsuko yowled angrily and they both attempted to attack him. Naruto sighed and swerved and expertly tilted, his left hand settling against the ground. He brought up his right leg and did a full-circle kick, catching both men in the attack, bringing them down.

He straightened himself out and cracked his neck, yawning again. Sakura rushed after him, standing behind him and staring at the downed gangsters, shocked.

"I told you I'd kick your ass? See how easy this is? There's not in tiring yourself with multiple attacks unless you're not confident they'll be brought down."

He put his hands in his running pants pockets and rocked back and forth. "I'm thinking you bastards can scram."

Jarn scrambled up, a thin line of blood trickling down his chin. "You freaks!" he yelled, running off, with stupefied Roan and Yitsuko following their leader.

Naruto laughed as they grew farther away. "They yell at you for not being real ninja, and then after you show them some super-cool moves they think you're a freak. I'm telling you, no one can impress those guys."

"Thank you for helping me. I...I didn't want to accidentally hurt anybody." Sakura stared at her newly-formed calluses on her hands, and sighed. "I don't think these hands are ready to be stained by the blood of another."

"Well you'd better get over it. Just a question, how long have you been out here?" Naruto asked.

"About four hours. They started watching an hour ago. I didn't have the heart to tell them to leave me be."

"You need to work on your nerves. But first, let's grab some dinner! You and I are starving, right?" Naruto looked in his little frog wallet. _Thank goodness for Iruka-sensei._

"I am?" Sakura asked. Actually, she was. Her stomach rumbled, and she cursed at herself for having so little food at home.

"I'll treat you to some Ichiraku ramen. How's that sound?"

"That'd be great."

The sun was lingering just over the mountain peaks, deciding to stay up for just a few minutes more. Naruto and Sakura headed over to Ichiraku Ramen, a small cart-like shop that they could sit and eat at. The owners both stopped in Konoha because of a broken wheel and never left, even after the wheel was long fixed. Rumors were going around that they were planning to depart soon, which saddened Naruto.

Ayame, the pretty daughter of the owner, Teuchi, and the only worker at the bar, smiled warmly at the two as they walked in. "Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen," she said in a cheerful, sing-song voice. "Naruto, and...Sakura Haruno, correct?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes, that's right."

"So Naruto, I'm thinking it's curry today," Teuchi boomed from behind the counter.

Naruto and Sakura took their seats at the counter and the blond laughed. "Today I'm gonna add some lobster. Can you do that for me?"

"Lobster and curry ramen, coming right up!" Ayame sung. "And you, Haruno-san?"

"I'd like...umeboshi with ramen. Please, no spices."

"Alright, I'll get that going right now."

Ayame departed, and Naruto stretched. Sakura inspected his outfit visually. "That's pretty skimpy."

"It's good for running in. I jog around the village every day. It increased my legpower," he declared.

"It sounds difficult," Sakura admitted, pocketing her kunai.

"A lot of things are difficult. If it were easy then I wouldn't run as much. I'd get bored."

"Iruka-sensei must work you hard then."

Naruto shook his head. "Actually, not at all. Funny thing is I love the guy to death. But...maybe it was a bad idea to ask him to train me."

Sakura cocked her head. "Why's this?"

Naruto smiled sadly. "He's a good teacher, but...he holds back. He's also my father figure, and because of that he doesn't want to hurt me. So, he pulls his punches and makes everything easier for me."

"Oh..." Sakura narrowed her eyes sadly. "That's not good."

"Not at all. Of course, I'm grateful for him in my life. Without him, I'd probably be dead."

"Don't say that!" Sakura exclaimed.

Ayame appeared, pushing the ramen bowls towards them. "Enjoy your meal," she said, bowing.

"Thanks, you're the best!" Naruto and Sakura put their hands together. "Itadakimasu."

They began to eat, and Naruto continued. "It's true, Sakura-chan. He's the one who protected me as a child. He always thinks I'm still a kid. He shielded me from the horrors of the real world...but once I got old enough to comprehend what people said and meant...my childhood was over."

"_**Do you see him? The kyuubi boy?"**_

"_**Yes, I do."**_

"_**Doesn't it make you sick? That he's still here? I swear we should kick him out. Send him away. I don't want that blasted fox to attack us all again."**_

_**Naruto stopped playing with his yoyo and held it, listening to the couple talk about him.**_

"_**He's just a child!"**_

"_**The kyuubi doesn't care about that! If we're soft with him then Konoha will be destroyed again. This place was already bad enough, and then it appears. It's stupid to keep it alive. We should send him to Otogakure, make it their problem."**_

_**Naruto didn't notice it, but he crushed his yoyo to pieces. He opened his hand and let the broken toy fall to the ground.**_

_**The female gasped. "Did you see that?" she whispered to her lover. "That's not normal for a little child. He's not even a ninja."**_

"**_If he becomes a ninja, then we all know Konoha's going to be nothing but a pile of wood soon."_**

_**Tears stained his red cheeks. 'Why do you all...hate me?' he thought, shaking his head. 'It's not my fault this stupid fox is inside me.'**_

"They shouldn't pick on you just because you house the kyuubi." Sakura ate some of her ramen quietly.

"When we were barely one year old, the kyuubi appeared near Konoha and attacked. All of our forces, which were obscure, joined together to fight it. That was the first time in Konoha history we were ever united as a hidden village, when we could actually call ourselves a hidden village with a backbone. But the kyuubi ravaged our city into the ground. It wasn't until too late when Oto came and helped us. And for some reason, I wound up having the kyuubi inside of my small body." Naruto paused to let Sakura take his story in, and he tore through his ramen, gulping down half of it in record time.

"That war was our last straw. Konoha fell apart and never put itself back together. Our will was completely obliterated. Oto was given all the fame for the war, even though it was most of our elite ninja who died facing kyuubi. In the first few years of my life, I was handed over to Iruka-sensei, who took care of me as best as he could. People looked at me with scorn, blaming me for what had happened. The new generation that I was born among did not take such insult from me. They hadn't experienced the war and they could not hate me the way the adults did. Iruka-sensei kept me away from their harsh words, until I learned that they _were _harsh words. Because of what everyone thought of them, I thought if I humored them they would leave me be. So, I became a street banger. Making trouble, doing whatever I could to piss people off. And when I was sent to the ninja academy, I at first didn't care. But then, I thought of how everyone loved and admired and respected the Otokage, and I thought that if I became a ninja, people would start respecting me more. That's why I cast all my childish antics aside and decided to make a name for myself."

"That's horrible..." Sakura whispered, eating some noodles. "You shouldn't have had to go through that."

"That's why what that gangster said pissed me off! He said that we don't have the same problems as them. What, we aren't human? Of course we do! People don't notice that, they expect ninja to know everything. Funny thing is it's a gangster who's got the right point of view." Naruto slammed his fist on the counter, causing some soup to spill down the sides of his bowl. "I hate it! And I want Konoha to get up off its ass and _do something!_"

His teammate admired his passion. She had never seen him fired up about anything, and now he was ready to get some changes made. "I'll help you," she decided. "I want to."

"You gonna stick to that?" Naruto interrogated.

"Yes." Sakura was definite.

"Then, right here, in the Ichiraku Ramen Bar, we make a vow! Another one," Naruto added in a comical whisper.

"Over what?" Sakura looked around. She didn't want to slash her hand open in a restaurant.

Naruto picked up his ramen bowl. "Over this!"

She scratched her head, sighing. "And you're supposed to be serious about this?"

"Come on."

Sakura picked up her bowl. "Okay, here we go."

"We, Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno, pledge to these bowls of ramen, our final meals as unseasoned ninja, that we will change Konoha for the better," Naruto started off.

Sakura continued for him. "No matter how long it takes. Even if we cannot change it immediately, we will pace ourselves and make sure nothing goes wrong."

"And if something does go wrong, we'll fix it!" Naruto chirped.

"If we cannot work as a team, along with our friend Sasuke Uchiha, then we will be unable to help Konoha. So, we will do what we can. The smallest amount of ryo can go a long way." Sakura closed her eyes.

"And so we, Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno, will not discourage ourselves from our paths, and continue to take the road to a bright future—no matter what!"

Naruto and Sakura tilted their heads back, and drank the remaining soup from the bowls that symbolized their thirst for adventure—and chances.

**XxXxXx**

Naruto's predictions were correct. In the following week, there was an overnight snowstorm and people roused from sleep to find the streets overspread with a foot of pure, untouched snow.

Winter was the worst time of the year for Konoha civilians. Commuting to work was harder, colder, and wetter. Cart shops were piled high with snow, making it difficult for the owners to sell their wares. Children were little monsters when they had snowballs in hand, pelting them at innocent bystanders.

On a particularly cold, dreary morning, Chouji Akimichi was sitting on his outside porch, staring at the slushy streets. He was waiting for his dad, who had gone out for groceries. A potato chip bag next to him was rustling in the frostbitten wind, and he would break from his stillness to grab the salty snacks layered in the bag.

He wore a heavy green sweater and his favorite blue scarf. He had no clean pants (his father didn't do much laundry) so he was stuck wearing his shorts that were meant for his ninja uniform.

"Where the hell are you, dad?" he asked himself out loud, worrying. The man wasn't very intelligent. The plump boy hoped he wasn't lost.

He crumpled up his chips bag and started on a lollipop that he had stuffed in his sweater pocket.

Three lollipops and two pocky boxes later, Chouza Akimichi finally appeared, carrying shopping bags packed with so much food Chouji could've guessed all together they weighed as much as his father, which was, to put it simply, a lot.

"Dad, you left to shop three hours ago! Why did I wake up for this?" the brunette complained.

"Oh, son you won't believe all the food I bought! You're going to love me!" Chouza boomed, laughing.

He strode into their decrepit split-level house with his son shuffling behind him. The kitchen was undoubtedly the nicest place in their five-room house, covered in expensive appliances and cookbooks.

The amount of food Chouza bought took up the entire kitchen, floor, counters, and table. Chouji's mouth fell open. "How much food did you buy?"

"A lot! Come on, take a look at 'em," Chouza encouraged. "I don't know where we're gonna fit it all though..."

Chouji found the lengthy receipt and read the price. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. "A _hundred thousand _fucking ryo? That's insane! How the hell did you pay for it?"

"I used my work money and some of the money from our joint account," Chouza said, pointing to the pretzel jar in the corner where they saved money. It was empty.

"Some? You used ALL OF IT!" Chouji bellowed. "THAT'S MY MONEY TOO!"

"Well, guess we'll have to start saving up again. But no worries! We'll last for a while on all of this," his father pointed out.

Chouji angrily grabbed a smaller shopping bag, sifting through it. He picked out a box of gummies and flipped the box around in trembling hands, looking for an expiration date. He threw the box down angrily. "FUCK!"

"What? What's wrong?" Chouza asked, sounding startled.

"It expires next week! And this—" Chouji took out another item, "and this, and ALL OF THESE! I'm betting you most of the food you bought is going in the garbage soon. You wasted money buying all of this easy-to-spoil shit! I can't fucking BELIEVE this!"

"Uh..." Chouza sounded dumbfounded and amused by his son's yelling. "I bought you these." He took out a whole slew of barbeque chips.

For the first time in his life, Chouji wasn't hungry. "How much money do you have with you now?" he asked, trying to remain calm.

"...None at all! How about these cereal...nope, two weeks at the most."

Chouji bit his lip. "None...at all. No money! When are you getting your paycheck?"

"I think at the end of the month. It's December, so...probably next year, actually. Get it? Next year?" The redheaded man let out barks of laughter.

Chouji wasn't laughing. "We can't afford heat; did you ever think of that? It's the winter, and we can't afford heat! We're gonna freeze to death! The heating bill's due next week, and if we don't pay..." he stopped there. His eyes began to burn. "I don't want to freeze." He hated the cold. If the winter was warm, he'd appreciate it more.

"Aww, I'm sorry. Look, have some chips. That'll make you feel better," Chouza suggested, tossing him a bag.

The brunette caught it half-heartedly. His father _used _to be smart, and a great ninja at that. But during the kyuubi war, his head was severely damaged, and his brain degenerated. Now, Chouji was 'the man' of the household. He took care of everything except maybe cooking and laundry.

"Dad, can you relax for a little while? Watch some television or something." He waved at the monochrome set in the other room.

"Sure thing, son! You have the best suggestions," his father chirped. He plopped himself lazily on the couch and began to go through gummies like they were air.

Chouji stepped into his room. He didn't know how to fix this problem. He had to sit and think. Problem was, he didn't have brains like Shikamaru. He wasn't stupid, per say, just slow.

He gazed around his room at the crumpled up food bags and clothing. A book caught his eye—"Basic Ninjutsu". He waded through the sea of burger wrappers and tee-shirts and grabbed it, flipping through it. He had stolen it from the library and was content with reading it to pass the time.

He flipped through the pages, searching for something, _anything _that would help him out of this situation. A money-making jutsu or something to that effect. His eyes fell on a fire jutsu, said to cause fire to stream out of someone's mouth by concentrating chakra in the mouth and combining it with elemental ability.

_That could keep us warm. We should install a fireplace, _Chouji thought.

He glared out at the winter scenes beyond his window-glass. _If only there wasn't so much snow around, I'd be glad to build one._

A lightbulb flashed in his head. "The snow!"

He ran out of his room, past his father and into the gloomy weather. The morning sun swelled dangerously, casting blinding rays onto the snow. Chouji took two steps off his front porch and found himself knee-deep in snow. He cursed as his bare legs began to tingle, and hopped to one of the places where his father had walked. The man had no trouble in snow, considering his size.

He focused chakra into his mouth, calling on the element fire, and performed the necessary hand signs. Taking careful aim, he shouted "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

He was surprised himself when fire blasted from his point between his fingers, scorching the snow and melting it and its surroundings from the pressure and the heat. He moved his hands and melted a path to the street, which was only less covered in snow.

People who were trekking through the slush stopped and watched him as he drew another breath. His air was the sacrifice needed to call on fire, and he melted paths for his spectators. They thanked him and scurried on. Chouji coughed, feeling chakra depletion already, and looked at his handiwork, feeling accomplished. Helping people made him feel good. Shikamaru said it wasn't worth it to help people, but he had been taught by his now-deceased mother that she named him after the word "butterfly" to symbolize the day he changes from a boy to a man, which can only be accomplished with strength, valor, and kindness.

He hurried along down the path he had made, over to a couple who were struggling with a pathetic plastic shovel. He winced when the shovel snapped in half from taking on too much snow.

"Do you need help?" he called, wading over to them.

"What do you want?" the man snapped, throwing the shovel down angrily. "I told you not to buy this cheap shit!"

"I'm sorry!" the woman sounded hurt. "We couldn't afford the metal shovel."

"Damnit! I don't need this right now. I'm missing a day of work."

"I can help you," Chouji offered. "I'm a ninja." Not that that meant much to people.

"I don't care if you're a Kage; leave us alone."

"It'll just take a second." Chouji put his hands around his mouth and sent flames coursing through their property, melting and evaporating the blockage.

They were speechless. The man stuttered a thank you, sounding astounded. The woman went up to him and pulled out a two hundred ryo note. Chouji stared at it. "Uh..."

"It's hardly anything, but please take it. We're so grateful." She stuffed it in his hands and bowed.

"Are you...an Akimichi?" the man asked.

"Chouji Akimichi," the boy confirmed.

The man smiled. "I knew your father, back before the war. I was a teacher. He was a great man."

"He still is," he whispered quietly. "I'm sure he was!"

Chouji stored the money in his shorts and went from house to house, burning away snow and making it easy to travel. With each house, he received a small amount of money. He was surprised at how much chakra he had.

At around three, he found himself halfway across the city. His chakra was running low, but his pockets were stuffed. He plopped down at a sandwich counter and ordered an extra-large ham and cheese with onions, pickles, peppers, bacon, ketchup, and mayonnaise.

He counted his money and nearly choked on his watery fizz drink when the total earned came out to be around thirty thousand ryo. It wasn't huge, but it was very good. He could pay the lighting/gas bill with this, and still have enough left for food. Sure, he'd have to cut back on the amount he ate, but it wasn't so bad.

He neatly folded up the money and ate happily. After the delicious lunch he decided to go back home. If he pushed it, he'd have dangerously low chakra and would be too weak to walk all the way back home.

Chouji looked beyond the sandwich counter he had stopped at and saw the small Nara farm. He smiled and walked to it, passing by the Yamanaka flower shop on the way (they had already cleared out their snow). He entered the farm's boundaries.

Farm equipment was strewn everywhere, buried under mountains of snow. Chouji came to the farm often during the warmer seasons, and the grass was always healthy...for the first few weeks. Then, it paled from lack of water. The problems with the Naras were they were too lazy to water it. The deer they raised were skinny and didn't offer much meat, and didn't sell for much either. It pained Chouji to think how successful they could be if they weren't so goddamn _lazy._

He passed by the deer stables and the mill, and up to the Nara home, a two-story rickety house with peeling paint and roof problems. Poor Lady Nara couldn't handle all of the work herself.

He knocked on the door, and heard a drunken laughter, a crash, and a yell. _Must be his dad drunk again,_ Chouji thought.

Shikamaru's father, Shikaku, was Chouza's teammate back before the kyuubi war. He was lazy but smart, and unfortunately declined to being a boozer after Chouza's brain deterioration.

Said man opened the door, his cheeks flushed from whiskey. "H-Hey there, Chouza. What's up m-my man?" he asked, hiccupping. "Sorry, mission's on hold. You s-should go tell Inoichi."

Inoichi was Ino's father and the other teammate of Shikaku and Chouza. Chouji sighed. "This is Chouji, not Chouza."

"Oh...really? Yeah, hey Chouji. Shikamaru's inside." Shikaku sounded honestly confused. He let in the boy and shuffled back to the kitchen.

Shikamaru was watching an action/adventure show on television, his eyes glazed over from staring at the screen for so long.

"Have you moved at all since you sat down?" Chouji inquired.

"...Nope. Sorry, mom doesn't want to feed you since when you went through her carrot cake without asking last week."

"I'm not hungry. I just ate."

"Oh..." Shikamaru was only half paying attention.

"...I've got something I gotta ask actually. You know the snow that's piling up outside?" Chouji asked.

"...There's snow?" Shikamaru asked in disbelief.

The fat boy slapped his forehead. "You're totally oblivious. Come outside with me will you?"

His lazy friend looked at him for a minute. "Are you serious? ...What a drag."

He stood up and went outside with Chouji, cursing as the cold air tickled his bare skin. "Shit..."

"You see? I bet Yoshino wouldn't be happy to walk through this," Chouji said.

"...I guess. Why did you drag me here?"

"Well guess what! I've been raising money by melting the snow off of people's property. I made the streets easier to navigate too!"

Shikamaru stared at him, dumbfounded. "What?"

"I've been using a fire jutsu. It's the one Sasuke Uchiha used at the academy, remember?"

His friend didn't reply. He was busy staring at Chouji with wide eyes. _How did he think of such a good idea? That's impossible, why would Chouji do something like that? ...Did he outsmart me?_

"I've gotten thirty thousand ryo from it. Isn't that great! I'll do your house too, for free of course..."

"I don't care," Shikamaru hissed, suddenly angry.

Chouji stopped in mid-sentence. "What?"

"Did you come here to brag? Not all of us are smart enough to think of a good way to make money, except me. Oh, but I didn't think of it. You rubbing it in or something?"

Chouji was stupefied. "No. What are you talking about? I was just..."

"I don't care. Don't come around here and make such a big deal out of it. Get out."

"What? I didn't do anything!"

"I said get out!" Shikamaru yelled. "Leave me alone for a while!" He slammed the door in Chouji's face.

"I—" He stared at the door solemnly. _What just happened?_

He turned away from the house and silently trekked back to the shopping district of town. When passing by the flowershop, he saw Ino's face through the display. He veered left and through the doors into the warm store.

Ino looked up from her teen magazine when she heard the bell ring. "Welcome to Yamanaka Flower Shop. Chouji, hi!"

"Hiya Ino," Chouji replied standoffishly.

"Someone's in a good mood. The snow bringing you down?"

"No, it's not that..."

Chouji and Ino at first didn't like each other, but the only reason Chouji didn't like her was because of Shikamaru's dislike for her. They grew friendly after she got him off of a shoplifting accusation.

He explained to her about his father, and melting the snow, and Shikamaru. She was absorbed with interest after he finished.

"He's jealous that's all," Ino surmised.

"Are you serious? He's not the type to be jealous. I guess if he wanted to help me he could have."

"He's not jealous because of the money. He's jealous because you thought of such a great idea and he didn't. He's a closet genius who takes pride in being the smartest one on the team." Ino threw her magazine under the counter.

"But...we don't even act like a team! I don't think the three of us have done anything together since..." Chouji couldn't even remember.

"We're like Ino-Shika-Chou version two," Ino remarked.

Chouji averted her gaze. "I don't understand him. He's always complaining about _you _the most."

"Are you serious? He's always harassing me, and I'm getting sick of it." Ino adjusted her bra strap.

"Well, I do agree with him. Your job..." Chouji felt uncomfortable talking about it.

"Who cares? I make money and have fun doing it. The only problem with it is that it's a relationship-wrecker. Shikamaru just won't let it go."

"Let what go? Wait..." Chouji grasped what she was saying.

"I never told you? I used to date him," Ino remarked.

_That _was not what Chouji expected. "Are you serious? Oh, shit! You never even recognize each other on the streets or anything."

"Well, we don't really make a big deal that we used to go out. We had a nice relationship, until I started making money off prostitution. I don't think he's ever forgiven me." Ino's voice sounded misty; nostalgic almost.

"...I can't believe it. I thought you two didn't know each other," Chouji voiced.

"I'm the one who helped him realize his intelligence. All the time we'd play shogi and go. He really was a nice guy, but after we broke up he became bitter."

"Everyone changes after some traumatic event. My dad becomes stupid, Shikamaru's dad becomes a drunk, and Shikamaru becomes pissy," Chouji grumbled.

"That's not true in all cases. Look at yourself, for example. You haven't changed a bit," Ino told him. "You're still helpful, ever-hungry, and plump."

Chouji smiled at the word plump. It was a polite way of saying fat, but he was never insulted by it. "Thanks. Although one of my goals is to change."

"Good luck. I'll be rooting for you," Ino said, pecking him on the forehead. "Now you get outta here."

**XxXxXx**

A knock sounded from outside Sarutobi's office. He cleared his throat, papers in hand. "You may enter," he spoke.

The door creaked open and three shinobi entered, dressed in formal Otogakure uniform. One of them, a man with short black hair, bowed to Sarutobi hastily. The older man nodded. "There is no need to bow to someone who is not worthy of it."

"Ah, but we respect you greatly."

Sarutobi chuckled. "Have a seat." He gestured to chairs close to his desk.

They did so, the black-haired ninja leaning forward. "As I was saying, we respect you because of your will to stay here, when the Otokage has invited you to live in our village many times now."

"That is not respect; that is pity," Sarutobi replied smartly.

"Hn." The Oto-nin's face darkened.

"So, why have you good people come to Konoha?" the old man inquired.

"There is a mission the Otokage was so..._generous _to redirect to you. The papers for said mission are right here," another one spoke, pulling out a thick scroll.

"Well, he is a great man to be so helpful to our little abode." Sarutobi's eyes wandered to his portrait, hanging next to the door.

"Yes. Well, we trust you will have no problems assigning a proper team to fulfill the requirements," one said as Sarutobi undid the bindings and read the fine script.

"This sounds quite simple. What class of mission is it?"

The black-haired ninja smirked. "I forgot you don't have an organizer of missions. Well, no matter. It's a C class, despite how easy it is. The pay is quite acceptable; golden for you Konoha dwellers."

"Yes...I noticed. I can't possibly deny this. We've only had D missions for the longest time, rarely so more than a dismal pay amount. This could help us out greatly." He pushed away form his desk, his chair rolling to a halt by a filing cabinet where he pulled out files sorted by team.

"Do you sort those all yourself?"

"I'm a very organized man," he replied, flipping through the files. "I can't find one team that will excel for this mission."

"Well, we suggest you pick soon so we can inform the Otokage of your choice."

Sarutobi's eyes narrowed as he read the files. _Team 6 was just thrown together...I knew I should've been the one to sort them. Team 7 has some potential with Sasuke Uchiha, though I can't risk the kyuubi's exposure. Team 8...Kiba Inuzuka's sharp senses, Hinata Hyuuga's Byakugan and Shino Aburame's insects are excellent trackers._

"I think this team will be useful," Sarutobi decided, showing them the file.

"...You have brains; unusual in these parts. Though, I would recommend sending the kyuubi child first."

He raised his thick grey eyebrows. "And you think so because?"

"Think of it; if the kyuubi child can harness his power that the kyuubi bestows upon him, don't you think he'd become a great ninja? Something Konoha could be proud of." The ninja smiled, not kindly. "Just a...suggestion."

"...You have a point. Very well then, I shall call Team 7's leader."

**XxXxXx**

"Ooooh, this is delicious," Sakura moaned happily, sipping the cinnamon cocoa fondly. "It wakes me up too."

Sasuke was silent as usual. He was reading a part of his mail with his brow furrowed.

"Could you hurry up? It's going to get colder soon."

Sasuke threw the mail onto the counter and looked at Sakura. "Let's go."

"Where too?" she asked, surprised.

"Sensei wants us to meet him by the bridge, now."

Sakura frowned. "Sensei? Oh, you mean Kakashi. I thought he completely forgot about us."

Said man was sitting on the rails of the bridge, watching the stream with a soporific look in his uncovered eye. He didn't expect to be preparing his students for something like _this._ One call, and suddenly his team had been picked to go on a C mission. Sure, the details sounded easy, but he had a feeling things weren't going to be as smooth as everyone thought.

He perked up when he saw a pink head and a black head coming his way. Sakura looked a little angry to see him, and he didn't blame her.

"Hey guys. Sakura, been a while," he said, waving at her.

She pursed her lips. "Yes. A long while. A good couple of months, actually."

"Yes. Well. As soon as Naruto gets here I'll start."

Naruto appeared a few minutes later, headphones around his neck and his jogging suit donned. "Iruka-sensei said there was a letter from you in the mail. Sup?"

"Well, seeing as how you're the only team who will be excited about this," Kakashi said, "I might as well cut to the chase. Team 7 has been assigned a mission."

A silence blew through the air; all the Naruto's eyes grew in excitement. "You're kidding!"

"I'm not."

"That's awesome!" Sakura exclaimed, punching the air happily. "Finally; what took them so long?"

Sasuke was smirking. "Looks like we can show off our stuff. What're the details?"

"Well, it isn't a walk in the park. A C rank mission." The silver-haired man took out the scroll and opened it.

"C rank!" the pinkette squealed. "So it's not cleaning out gutters or anything!"

"Actually, we're traveling to the Land of Red Beans not too far off from here. A village has been having difficulties with a pair of thieves, and we've been called on to capture the thieves. A good money reward," Kakashi read.

"I've never been outside Konoha before. This'll be an adventure," Naruto stated, jumping around.

"I was there on a holiday once," Sasuke ejaculated. "A nice place, off by the coast. Is the village we're going to by the beach?"

"Yeah. Nice resorts. Crappy security though. We get to stay at Hotel Mizuho while we search for the thieves."

"A HOTEL!" Naruto and Sakura both squealed.

Sasuke chuckled. "You two don't get out much."

"We're too poor for that kind of thing. All Konoha has are inns." Sakura glared at Sasuke. "Don't start with us."

"When do we leave?" Naruto asked.

"Tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow! Talk about short notice," he complained. "Oh well, I guess I'll tell Iruka when I get home."

Kakashi stuffed the scroll back into his pocket. _Of course they'll be excited. I know we can handle it, but I can't quell this feeling that something's going to go wrong. But if I try to plead to Sarutobi, we won't get the money. In this case, do I really have to ask myself what's more important—the lives of three young ninja, or money?_

He looked over at his students. _Sometimes I really hate myself._

**XxXxXx**

So I was reading my outline for this chapter in my handy dandy pink notebook where I keep all my fanfic info...and I realized that after typing out half out the outline I was at page 18. So I decided to do a bit of configuring, otherwise this would be REALLY long. Well, another inspirational chapter ending with a mission! Finally, Konoha could use some money.

Truthfully, I have no idea where the Land of Red Beans is located, so I just picked a random place near Konoha.

Does anyone know if the series has telephones?

Next chapter: Everyone is sure that Team 7 will fail the mission or die along the way. Not much of a departing conversation, hmm? Ino approaches Asuma to try and get her way into the Chuunin exam roster. Neji's more frustrated then ever, and Team 7 reaches the village safely.

See you until then!


	5. Overcoming

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
****Slight AU warning.  
****Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!**

Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja triggers a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?

Note: _Italicized lines _often mean thoughts of a character or in some cases dreams. **Bolded lines **often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. **_Bolded italicized lines_ **often mean flashbacks.

The Author Speaks: There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information given.There will be limes/_possible _lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes. New quick warning! This chapter (5) contains a scene involving Neji that is slightly incestuous.

Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except most of the characters are fifteen instead of thirteen. Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire. And yes, you guessed it! The Otokage is Orochimaru. Kakashi never lost his eye.

Definitions:  
Itadakimasu – a Japanese term said before eating a meal. Means something along the lines of "good eat" or "happy eating"  
kabayaki – a Japanese term for a dish of seafood that is filleted, bones, and dipped in soy-sauce  
bento – arrangement of a meal in a lunchbox, a tradition in Japanese cuisine

Songs:  
"GO!!!" by FLOW  
"Ryuusei" by TiA  
"When It All Falls Apart" by The Veronicas

**Show Me a Hero**

**_Chapter 5 – Overcoming_**

The onlookers weren't very cheerful. The first C-mission in a long time, and many were glum. News of the mission had leaked, and there was a large crowd at the edge of the village. They didn't really have a pinpointed boundary line, but everything beyond that line was considered out of Konoha's territory. So, they gathered close to the farthest building and assumed from there.

Sakura was humiliated. Ino was rushing towards her, wearing high heels and a skirt which clearly showed thong straps clinging to her hips. The blond floozy embraced her tightly, her breasts squished against her friend's red fabric of her dress. "Oooooh Sakuraaaaa!" she wept, tears staining her heavily-applied makeup.

"Relax Ino," Sakura comforted, patting her on the back awkwardly.

"You have to come back!" she demanded. "I can't lose my best friend!"

"Who said I'm not coming back? It's just a thief bust. We can handle it," Sakura assured, smiling. She was very confident, although the grim faces of the crowd was a little disheartening.

"I wish...you hadn't taken up this ninja thing. The exams are so close, and I've seen dead ninjas before. I don't want one of them to be you." Ino was so worried.

"I won't, trust me Ino. You have my word, I'm coming back alive!"

Ino didn't like how nonchalant she sounded. "I...fine. I swear though, you come back dead you're _dead._"

The pinkette laughed. "I'll be sure to remember that."

Naruto beamed down at Hinata. His handsome face held a look of confidence that made Hinata jealous. She didn't think that she'd ever be able to smile like that, a silly grin that was brimming with expectance.

"Naruto-kun," she muttered quietly, something clutched in her hand.

"I'm glad you came to see me off. I'd be kinda sad if you thought you were too cool to hang out with the fox boy," Naruto joked.

"O-Of course I'd come to see you! N-Naruto-kun..." Hinata looked away.

"Don't get shy, silly."

Her hand trembled and she thrust an opened fist at him. The kyuubi holder's aqua eyes met a little charm in the shape of a chick. She reddened just from him taking it and began to squirm, tapping her fingers together. "I, ah...c-couldn't find anything else...b-but I looked hard! I-It's for luck..." she told him.

His grin widened. To receive a gift from Hinata made him unusually giddy. "Thanks, I like it a lot! It's cute, like you!" He clipped it to his pants pocket.

She swayed, embarrassed but very pleased from his response. "I-I...I'm glad you like it."

"We've gotta get moving!" Kakashi called, gesturing to the outer woods.

"Gotta go. I'll see you in a few," Naruto spoke.

Hinata opened her mouth to bid him goodbye, but was abruptly interrupted when he hugged her. The sweet smell of his clothing filled her nostrils and she thought her head would explode. He let her go and waved, joining Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi at the base of the rock that looked over a fairly horizontal hill. She couldn't reply to his wave, not even as they descended the rock and onto the soft grass beyond, growing smaller and smaller; she was too busy reliving the hug over and over in her head. A moment she would never forget, that was for sure.

After they disappeared into the foliage, Hinata headed home. Ino accompanied her part of way until she redirected herself to the flower shop. Ino was nice, but a little embarrassing to be seen with. Hinata couldn't help but see a close resemblance between Ino and Kurenai-sensei, who wore clothing that could rival the prostitute's.

Neji was cleaning again. Hanabi was coloring on the floor.

"Sister's home!" she said happily, jumping up and running to her.

Hinata smiled down at Hanabi. "Hello," she said. "Hello, Neji."

He threw her a sponge. "Toilets," he said brusquely.

"Ah? U-Um..."

"How was the departure?" the young Hyuuga inquired.

"Team 7 looked so confident," she replied jealously. "I-I shouldn't have been so worried. They'll be fine."

"Of course they will be fine," Neji cut in, "it's a goddamn C-mission. Nothing that will kill them. With the state our ninja are in, however, I'm sure they will somehow screw up one way or another."

"Actually—" Hinata began, knowing that Team 7 was the talk of the town with their public displays of training.

"Who are Team 7 again? Naruto, Sasuke, and that other chick? With Kakashi-sensei," Neji confirmed himself.

"Her name is Sakura..." Hinata informed. Neji hadn't been out of the house for two weeks, so he was always behind.

"Toilets," Neji demanded.

"A-Alright." She turned her dark-haired head and headed towards the hall. When she stepped into it, however, a gruff voice resonated from outside.

"Hinata! You here?"

_Kiba, _she thought, casting a glance at Neji.

Obviously angered, he yelled a little too loudly out at Kiba. "A MINUTE! BE PATIENT!" Neji went up to Hinata and grabbed the sponge from her. "Go have fucking _fun._ I'll do the toilets."

Hinata didn't meet his eye. "A-Alright Neji..." she smiled sadly at Hanabi. "Don't forget your homework," she said.

"I won't!"

**XxXxXx**

The Land of Red Beans really _was _close to Konoha. The shoreline wasn't as far as Naruto thought. Bustling with people ready for work and play, the place wasn't very crowded.

"Not the season for beach vacations," Kakashi remarked. "It is, after all, winter. The mountains are usually a more popular spot; who doesn't like skiing slash snowboarding?"

"Never done it," Sakura and Naruto chimed in unison.

"It hasn't changed much." Sasuke even remembered where the kabayaki restaurant was. It caught his eye when they stepped into the town.

Sakura and Naruto were in awe. The place wasn't at its full glory in the winter, but to be someplace so unfamiliar left them speechless. The streets were paved cobblestone as opposed to the dirt streets in Konoha. Houses were spread further apart and were in much better condition, snow-topped trees decorated the town along with ornate street lights. Restaurants were found every few feet and along the beaches were boats tied to docks. Children were playing on the beaches, looking for shells underneath the cold layers of snow and sand.

"It's...beautiful," Sakura approbated.

"Amazing! I don't believe it!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Funny, you usually _do _'believe it'," Sasuke remarked with a smirk.

"Shut up!"

"Where is our hotel, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura loved using that word. Hotel. It made her feel important.

"Right over there. By the shore. Hotel Mizuho," Kakashi pointed out.

It was a grand building with a pretty white exterior and sinuous black gates surrounding it, not in an unfriendly way. The two newcomers fell in love, but soon felt a little feeble to be in such a hotel. Entering it, the lobby was warm and inviting with a fire crackling in the brick fireplace set next to a few couches and a coffee table with a bowl of fruit.

Kakashi stepped up to the counter. The woman took note of his appearance and headband. "Konoha?" she asked in surprise.

"Yes," Kakashi said bluntly. "We've been booked here. A mission, C-class."

"Oh! Um...that's in room 031. Down the hall, make a right. Just past the restrooms." She was ogling him like a Konoha ninja was part of a fascinating new species.

"Thank you," he said with a courteous bow. "You three, move along."

Naruto and Sakura were standing by the opening into the bar, where a few men were watching a sports game on the huge television. Sasuke was pacing around, taking in his surroundings. They obeyed and followed him to the room that they had been directed to. The door was a deep mahogany with a brass face spelling out the room number in black numbers.

Kakashi knocked on the door, and a bright purple eye peered through the eyehole. The door opened slowly, the man belonging to the purple eyes blocking the room from view.

"Mission class C, assigned ninja. Instructor Kakashi Hatake," Kakashi said as formally as possible, pulling a scroll from his shirt and handing it to the man.

He opened it and read it, brow furrowed. He glanced at the man and the three teenagers briefly before opening the door more and allowing them access.

It was a suite with beautiful dark furniture and expensive accessories. The room was occupied with a woman and another man.

_They're in our room. They must be the clients_, Sakura thought.

"You are from Konohagakure?" the man asked, noticing Kakashi's headband.

He nodded curtly. "I am sir, and we've accepted your call. I'm sure Otogakure informed you that they redirected your mark to us."

"They did, but to see a Konoha civilian in the flesh...forgive me. I am Tatsuha Torishita, along with Arisu Noki and Kendo Yomoru," he said with a wave of the hand to the ones sitting on the couch.

"How do you do. I am Kakashi Hatake, leader of Team 7. My students; Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sakura Haruno." He moved them further into the room.

Tatsuha nodded to them. "I apologize for being so cautious at the door. I didn't notice your headband. Your...attire...is not your uniform, I presume?"

Naruto compared Kakashi and Tatsuha. Kakashi, along with his body mask, wore a flimsy grey shirt and black sweatpants with a weapons pouch clipped to a worn-out brown belt. Tatsuha had on a crisp blue suit with a plain black tie and neatly combed brown hair, looking to be no older than twenty-four. Suddenly, he felt very poor.

"We do not have uniforms. Clothing company difficulties."

"I see." Tatsuha did not look convinced. He walked over to his companions. "Do not worry; this room will be free in a few minutes. We just need to go over details."

"A debriefing?" Naruto piped in.

The brunette smiled, amused. "You could say that."

Arisu, a pretty blue-haired woman with stunning ruby eyes, took out a briefcase. She opened it. "These are pictures of the thieves, Ryuho Hashi and Tomoda Uihara."

She took them out, displaying them to the onlookers. They scrutinized the photos. They were color mug shots. Ryuho had a distinguishing squiggly scar on his nose, and Tomoda had an eye patch with messy blond hair.

"They arrived two weeks ago, first targeting our shoreline glass figurine gift shop, stealing over fifteen million ryo worth of merchandise. They attacked three other shops after that, including Kendo Yomoru's jewelry store," Tatsuha informed, glancing at said man on the couch.

An older man in his early forties, Kendo looked rich and had a kind smile on his aging face.

"I'm truly sorry," Kakashi said. "We'll make sure they don't hit another shop."

"Thank you for your commiserations," Kendo replied.

"We haven't found their hideout. We believe only shinobi force can bring them down; they're relentless. Of course, you get a generous reward for capturing them. That is really the reason you took the mission in the first place," Tatsuha said smugly. "Perhaps then you can fix your clothing problems."

Naruto glared at him. Sasuke stood up with his arms crossed.

"You shouldn't be so confident. After all, it wasn't _your _cops who could catch them," he said in a laid-back but defensive voice.

Tatsuha opened his mouth to reply, but shut it firmly. "Hmph. I wish you luck on your mission. Don't screw up. Remember who's paying your room service."

The three left with their own versions of farewells and Kakashi closed the door behind him, sighing. "I knew we'd get bashed."

"That smug bastard! What right does he have, slamming us just because we're poor!" Naruto pouted.

"Ah, screw him. Look at this view!" Sakura called from the bedroom.

Naruto walked into the bedroom. It had the bare necessities times two, and a large window with a grand view of the ocean. He smiled, the sun shining bright over the calm seas.

Sasuke walked in with his sack, dropping it on the floor, followed by Kakashi.

"How are we going to work out sleeping arrangements?" Naruto asked, turning away from the scenic view.

"Sakura and Kakashi get the beds," Sasuke immediately replied. "Women and senpai have a higher privilege."

"Senpai? What are we, in school? I'm not taking a bed. Sakura should take the whole bedroom," Kakashi said.

"I'm not doing that!" Sakura said. "But I don't want to sleep with any of you in the same room. Teenagers plus hormones plus libidos equals babies."

"Very mathematical," Sasuke said lamely.

"I'm thinking I get the living room and you three get the bedroom." Sakura thought that was fair.

"How about I sleep in the bathtub?" Naruto offered.

"How about you shut up, idiot. You get a bed. I'll sleep on the floor," Sasuke said.

"On second thought, Sasuke can sleep on the other couch in the living room," the pinkette reconsidered.

"What, and compromise your brilliant equation?" Naruto smirked. "'Sides, I know you wanna see Sasuke sleeping. You girls and your sick fantasies."

Sakura blushed. "I agree with Sasuke, you should shut up!"

"Hey, he _was _your teacher. I'm not responsible for any wet dreams you have about him," Naruto defended.

"Yeah...well...what if I told you they were passionate, erotic dreams about you writhing underneath Sasuke moaning his name over and over?" Sakura asked innocently.

Naruto's eyes bugged out of his head. Sasuke looked like he had just swallowed sour milk. Kakashi coughed, flushing.

"_Why _must I be stuck with two losers?" Sasuke asked himself.

"Sounds like a scene out of Icha Icha Paradise, Yaoi Edition," Kakashi muttered.

"You're gross! Yaoi fantasies are not sexy!" Naruto yelled.

"Hey, you're not much better. You probably dream about me and Hinata or something!"

"I DO NO—...okay, once. But I was having major sexual issues that day."

"Oh sure, make excuses!"

"You know your yelling might be disturbing the neighbors?" Kakashi pointed out.

"You are both unbearable. Completely _horrible,_" Sasuke said, face buried under a hand.

The room grew silent. Sakura looked from Sasuke to Naruto to Kakashi, and began to giggle. Three pairs of eyes landed on her as she evolved from giggles to full out laughing, unable to stop. Naruto's mouth twitched and Kakashi looked away from Sakura, smiling. Soon, all of them were laughing, even Sasuke. They didn't really know why, but Sakura did.

It was the first time they had ever spent time together and bonded as a team. It was a moment Sakura didn't want to forget.

**XxXxXx**

Neji let the towel slip from his waist and he stepped into the steamy shower, closing the grey curtain behind him and enclosing himself in the large, comfortable space.

He liked the shower. It was a place he could be free. He didn't have to be a prisoner, trapped in clothing. He could be free, naked, and let the hot water drip down his back. It pleasured him, like many things did.

The only drawback of a shower was how it made him think. That's why he never spent too much time in one. He loved it, but it was like ice cream. You could keep on eating it because you love it, but get a stomachache from eating so much.

He touched where the curse mark used to be on his forehead. It disappeared on the day most of the Hyuuga family died or disappeared. That's how he knew. He always used to forget he even had it, because he never ended up in a situation where it mattered.

He used to be a strong, developing ninja. He had a team with two great teammates and a great teacher. He used to come home after a long day of training with a grin on his face, grab a snack, and watch Hinata train, jokingly saying that she didn't have to bother being a ninja because of how many she was surrounded by.

The brunette had spoken too soon. Soon, his days of content time at home and hard work on the training grounds disappeared after he, Hinata, and Hanabi became the only Hyuugas in Konoha. He had to pay the bills for the house and maintain it while Hinata went to the academy and Hanabi to school. He tried to continue with missions, only to find training taking up too much time and the mission decline made it pointless to even train. When he turned in his headband and resigned, his team broke up without even trying to find another student to take. His teacher and one teammate left Konoha and the other Neji lost contact with.

Hinata didn't help the situation. She gave up like he did, except she had a choice. The fact that she had what he didn't and she didn't even try made him jealous and angry.

He didn't know what was happening in the world, and he learned not to care. Hinata informed him of what she could, like Team 7 being assigned to the first mission Konoha has had for god knows how long. He didn't even know the names of any of the shinobi anymore.

_I'm thinking again, _Neji thought. _I don't have time for that._

Hinata was with Kiba upstairs. The boy had a sex drive bigger than Konoha itself. Neji never liked Kiba, but Hinata could take care of herself. Well, except when he beat the crap out of her. But she never asked him for help. She never helped him, her own cousin, anyway. Why did it matter what happened to her?

Neji felt like a sixty-year old unmarried man. Old, with no chance to do what he wanted, and no one who satisfy his desires.

Hinata's room was upstairs, across the hall from where his bathroom would be if it was upstairs too. He heard Hinata moan from over the showerhead's spraying. Neji flushed.

_Can she be any louder? _He had half a mind to go up there, dripping wet and naked, and yell at them.

The thought gave him a throb in his lower body. He cursed and decided to speed up, applying shampoo to his long hair.

This time, a groan. From Kiba. Neji let the shampoo wash out of his hair. He thought of Kiba, on top of him, thrusting into him like a wild beast while Hinata was underneath Neji's silky body, her breasts pushed up against his chest.

His white-lavender eyes hovered down to his length. _Rock-hard. From thinking of...my fucking cousin?! That's sick!_

Still, thinking of taking a part of what they did made him feel very dirty and frustrated. He knew that he would never want to have sex with Hinata if he had a normal sex drive. Except, he didn't. As he grew older, his body began to throw sexual desires on him that he couldn't alleviate properly, forcing him to read hentai, porn, erotic novels, and pleasure himself as a need, as if it were natural like eating or sleeping.

He'd never want to sleep with Hinata because she was his cousin. There were times when he wished she _wasn't._

Another moan. Neji couldn't handle it anymore. He activated Byakugan and stared up at Hinata's bedroom. He could see them perfectly, going at it. Hinata was splayed on the bed with Kiba on her hard and fast.

That was all he could see; in his mind, Kiba changed to himself, and Hinata became someone else. Just a regular girl, a familiar face that he enjoyed, and then it went back to Kiba and Hinata. His eyes rolled up into the back of his head from the heat he was feeling.

When he could see again, he was still in the shower. The water was washing away a white substance all over the walls, ground, and Neji's hand. His Byakugan had left him and he stared at his hand, eyes wide.

He had just pleasured himself to his cousin and her boyfriend having sex.

_My fucking cousin._

He collapsed to the tub's bottom, shaking with sobs. He hated it. To be such a pervert and a freak. He wanted it to end. He'd do anything.

"What the fuck's wrong with me?" he asked, tears pouring down his face. He didn't leave the shower for a long time, even after the water turned cold.

**XxXxXx**

_Goddamn the mirror for being cracked, _Asuma thought as he straightened his shirt out. Grabbing a bottle of cologne he sprayed it onto himself, grinning at his reflection. He straightened his messy blue hair out. "Kurenai is gonna love this. Sexy cologne, sexy man...what's not too resist?"

He heard a knock at his front door. "Coming!"

The man left his room with the door suggestively open and crossed to the door. He put on a sexy smile and opened the door. "Welcome, my..."

He paused. It was not the raven-haired ruby-eyed beauty, but Ino. "Oh. Ino, hello," he said, shocked.

"Hello sensei," she said in a seductively innocent voice.

_Why would she stop here? _he thought. His amber orbs looked her over. It was the dead of winter and she wore a tight mini-skirt and a leather vest without anything underneath it. A vest wasn't even a proper clothing item to wear alone. But then again, prostitutes didn't exactly follow the rules.

She was hard, he could tell. Her massive cleavage made his pants tighten, but he knew better. People thought him a sex freak, but he had good self-control, for the most part.

"Can I step in? It's cold," she asked.

Asuma couldn't refuse her. He stepped back into the room. "Sure, that's fine with me. But only for a few minutes, I'm expecting someone."

She did so, her boot heels straightening on the ground as she walked. Her beautiful blond hair was fanned out behind her. He noticed a ryo bill sticking out of her vest's pocket. She turned and smiled at him, her periwinkle eyes looking so naïve.

"Asuma-sensei," she spoke his name with a suggestive tone, "how is the selection for the Chuunin exams going?"

"Not hard. None of you are participating," the blue-haired man simply replied.

"Oh...why not?" Ino asked.

"You're not fit to be ninja. I don't send people to their deaths just because they ask. I know you, Chouji, and Shikamaru haven't trained at all since your initiation, and I'm not risking your lives."

The blond bit her lip. "Are you saying you wouldn't even let _me _participate?"

"You especially! Look at you—you're not interested in being one at all." He shook his head.

"Well," she drew closer to Asuma, "I need to be in those exams." She backed him into a wall and rested her hand on his inner thigh. "I'll make it worth your while."

"What—" the teacher could barely finish his sentence before she began to stroke his thighs, reaching up and kissing him passionately, almost demandingly.

He groaned as she began to work on his crotch, rubbing it possessively. "Just let me in the exams," she whispered, "and I'll do whatever you want."

"Ino," he said back in a submissive voice, "I..."

A look of triumph spread across her face. He then smirked. "Would never take that offer. I don't need a whore to satisfy my needs." He pushed her away.

She frowned. "Can't you just let me in!"

"No!" Asuma snapped. "You don't have any strength at all that would make you a capable ninja. You haven't trained at all! Don't you know what happens when you become a Chuunin? You become accessible by both Konoha _and _Oto! You'll be sent into dangerous missions and wars, you'll die! You can't get out of an assignment from Oto!"

Ino's hands curled into fists. "But my father will kill me! He's expecting me to turn out this great ninja like him and wants me to have what he can't because of his teammates going down the crapper and if I don't please him he'll hate me!"

"..." Asuma realized her situation. "...You love your father that much?"

"I don't want to disappoint him," Ino said somberly. "He lost a lot after the kyuubi war...his ninja license, his teammates, mom. All that's left are the shop and me. I wanted to be a ninja when I was little. But as I grew older, my mind changed. Still, I can't disappoint him. I don't want to. Even if I don't care anymore."

He sighed. "Look, I can't help you. If you and the shop are all he has, then you have to keep yourself alive. I'm not sympathizing with you. You could have easily avoided this by either telling him you don't care, or training. And you've done neither. If you want to start training, just ask me and I'll help you. But until you do, I'm not getting involved."

Ino stared at him for a long time. She choked back a sob, refusing to let tears ruin her perfect makeup. "So you don't care. I knew it. Fine, screw you! I'll just go and tell dad I wanna quit. Then I'll have to make up some other excuse on how I make my money. It's not like missions give you shit anyway!"

"Were you not listening to what I said? Ino, you're a good kid. Misguided but good. I'd be happy to train you..."

She cut him off. "Well it's too late! I'm done with this. You and that bastard Shikamaru! Chouji's the ONLY person I can go to!"

She stormed out of the house, dryly sobbing. Kurenai appeared a few moments later, looking surprised. "She didn't look happy."

"It's not what you think," Asuma said tiredly. "She tried to seduce me into letting her into the exam."

"You know, I expected my student Kiba to do the exact same thing to me. I guess he's busy with darling Hinata," she said in a cutesy voice.

"I hate how desperate people are getting," he spoke.

"Do you need me to do anything?"

"...I could use a cigarette."

**XxXxXx**

Sakura heard her name being called, but she didn't reply. The sand felt wonderful even if it were cold. The setting sun was absolutely marvelous. Being here for two days had been wonderful. Transient images of Konoha becoming such a place flew through her mind, and it swelled her heart.

The snow-sand crunched behind her. "I've been calling your name for ages," Naruto said.

"...I know," Sakura replied dreamily.

"Having fun?" he asked.

"...We're...friends right?"

"Huh?"

"When I was a little girl, I never paid much attention to you. You were an annoying troublemaker. But now we're on the same team. Does it ever bother you? How I ignored you?" Sakura had been thinking for a while.

Naruto was taken aback, but he sat down next to her. "Not really. I can understand why you wouldn't have liked me."

"You changed a lot. You used to be carefree. Now you're so dedicated. It's inspiring." She stared at the ocean. "That I can trust you now."

"Friends trust each other," Naruto stated. "Of course we're friends. But you know, Sasuke's changed too. Remember how he never left the Uchiha estate except to go to class? After his clan died, and how he acted afterwards, it got me thinking. That he was sort of set free."

"Hmm?" the girl looked at him quizzically.

"You notice that he's found it harder to be detached from everything. He's well known throughout town as the 'Uchiha survivor', but no one's ever really needed him. But when you came to his house and asked him to train you, even if he refused I know he felt really happy that someone came to him for help."

"You're a lot more intuitive than you act," Sakura reviewed. Her hair fanned out behind her in the wind. "Kakashi's different too. Remember how he used to stay away from us?"

"He drank a lot of sake yesterday."

"People drink to forget. Something happened to him, something that made him doubt us."

Naruto wiped snow from his hair. "At least he's got faith now!"

Sasuke appeared, snow crunching underneath his boots and holding a shopping bag. "Found you."

Naruto and Sakura turned and looked at him for a while. His eyebrows rose and broke the silence. "What?"

"Do you like us?" Sakura asked.

"Like, as friends?" Naruto added.

"...I..." Sasuke heard Kakashi arriving. His grip on the bag loosened a bit. "I'm your teammate."

"Those are two completely different things." Naruto stood up. "Can't you answer us?"

"...Yes." Sasuke said. "The Uchiha family has always spoken their emotions through actions, not words. I do not say such things often. People get the wrong idea."

Naruto grinned and Sakura flushed. _He said yes, _she thought. _Why was I dreading that he would say no?_

Kakashi stood on the other side of the railing, refusing to go on the freezing beach. "Heads up Sakura," he said, throwing something square at her.

She caught it and examined it. "A bento?" She opened it. Naruto looked over her shoulder and gaped.

"That's a lot of food! Damn!"

"Well she did eat twice her weight yesterday, remember?" Kakashi recalled.

"You're right. It's amazing how you can eat so much and still be so skinny! You know, I think you lost weight," the blond commented, giving her a one-over.

Sakura smiled. Sasuke noticed it was a little lopsided. He didn't have time to acknowledge it however, as there was a sound of glass shattering in the distance and mingled cries. They were immediately alert.

"Let's go," Kakashi ordered. The teenagers jumped up the railing and took off running down the street, onto buildings and over to the site of the accident. Glass was everywhere on the street, the police surrounding a now-broken jewelry display where two black-clad people were standing with bags of loot.

"Stay where you are!" a man they recognized as Tatsuha ordered, pointing a gun at them.

They looked at each other and smirked. Kakashi pulled out a shuriken quietly, holding up a hand signaling the Gennin to stay where they were. Before he could make a move, the two thieves had disappeared from the display, taking off down the street with the police futilely running after.

"Torishita," Kakashi said calmly, jumping down from the roof. A cop freaked and pointed the gun at him.

"Cease fire you idiots!" the chief roared.

"Let us take care of this. That's why you hired us, isn't it?"

The man glared. "So help me, if you screw up this mission Oto is going to get a lawsuit bigger than they can imagine."

"You _could _be helpful to us for something," the silver-haired teacher hinted.

"What is it, Hatake?"

Sasuke took the bento from under Sakura's arm and put it in his shopping bag. He held it out to Tatsuha. "...Hold this for us."

He grumbled and took it. "Make fun of me..."

They had already gone after the criminals before he could finish his sentence. They had retreated into the forest, and it was growing darker by the minute. Kakashi knew this wasn't a pleasant time to carry out a mission, but they had no choice. He halted abruptly when he saw them stop in a clearing, the cases full of contraband at their feet.

"Finally decided to give up?" Kakashi asked. "Smart move. Come with us quietly and we won't have to get violent."

One of them, Ryuho, began to laugh as if amused by Kakashi's threat. He turned towards Kakashi, his scar fully visible. "You think we're that stupid?" he asked in a rolling young voice.

"Konoha ninja stand no chance against us," Tomoda said. "Threats don't scare us."

Kakashi glared at them. "We may not be the best, but we can handle lowly thieves. We _are _ninja."

Ryuho kicked the cases away. "Alright then. We seriously have to go up against the worst of the worst. That's fine. How about we turn the tables? _You _go away and leave us be, or _we'll _have to _kill_ you."

Sakura froze. _Kill us? But, we didn't anything to them. Would they really kill us?_ her heart began to pound.

Ryuho put his hands in his pockets. Sasuke pulled out a kunai. The air was tense. Naruto's eyes shifted from Ryuho to Tomoda in agitation; he twitched. Kakashi wasn't moving, and Sakura was beginning to worry.

Without warning, Sasuke threw the kunai at Ryuho. The latter retaliated with five kunai that knocked down his lone one and flew towards them.

"GET DOWN!" Kakashi yelled, and Naruto and Sasuke dove to the ground. Sakura remained motionless.

_Get down? Wait, those kunai...they're coming at me! What do I do? No, to the ground!_ she thought, frantic.

It was too late. Three of them hit her straight on, burying themselves deep into her flesh. Her eyes widened and she screamed, collapsing onto her knees and starting to shake. Sasuke's eyes widened. "Sakura!"

_What is this?! _she thought, crazed. _I'm in pain! It hurts so much. No, I hate this. This pain, I don't want to hurt. I've never been in so much pain in my life...please, make it go away..._

"Get up!" Sasuke demanded. Kakashi flew at Tomoda, fist curled, aiming a punch at him. He dodged and kicked the teacher, who jumped up and used his leg as a spring to fly over his head and tackle him from behind. Naruto meanwhile was dodging shuriken being pelted at him by Ryuho.

"You're not just regular thieves," Kakashi realized. "You're missing-nin! No wonder the cops haven't been able to apprehend you."

"Good call there gramps," Tomoda sneered. He caught the teacher off guard with a feign punch, and then kicked him as he moved to defend it. Sasuke rushed in.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" he yelled, breathing fire at Tomoda and allowing Kakashi to get back on his feet.

_I don't want to fight..._Sakura thought. _What do I do? Attack, defend, dodge, jutsu, which type of jutsu do I use? What weapon? Why is this so hard? I've done it before. It shouldn't be so difficult. Why can't I think straight? I've learned how to do this. _Pain shot through her and she shrieked, standing up shakily.

Ryuho laughed in amusement as Naruto dodged one shuriken after the other. "This is amusing! Like a harder version of whack-a-mole!"

Naruto leered at him. Sasuke, who was fighting back a relentless Tomoda with Kakashi, yelled at his teammate. "You're not that stupid, Naruto!"

The blond watched another shuriken speed towards him. _He's right, I'm not!_ "Hey, don't make fun of me!" he yelled, not moving to avoid the shuriken. Instead, he caught it in between two fingers and sent it flying back at Ryuho.

"Shadow Clone Shuriken Jutsu!" The shuriken multiplied, all looking just as equally sharp and real.

The scarred ninja grimaced angrily and dodged, one of them cutting through the flesh on his cheek and leaving a bleeding cut.

_Everyone's doing fine,_ the pinkette observed, hands trembling as she reached for her weapons pouch, _but why is this so hard for me? I can't be weaker than Naruto._

Sakura's movement caught Ryuho's eye. He smirked and sped past Naruto, pushing him to the ground and stopping quickly in front of the girl, fist connecting with her stomach. Another pained cry escaped her mouth as the breath was knocked out of her and she flew into a tree. Naruto scrambled up, alarmed, and multiplied himself to all attack Ryuho. He turned at threw kunai at the clones, dispelling them as Sakura tried to move away from the ninja. He grabbed her by the hair and threw her back into the field, a senbon needle going straight through her arm.

Sasuke heard his teammate yell and his raven eyes fell upon a heavily bleeding Sakura on the ground. He moved towards her. "Sakura!" he yelled.

She didn't move. _I can't do this?! But why am I so weak? Why is this happening to me? I can't calculate his movements. I don't know what's going to happen. I'm going to...to DIE?_

_Her pain's interrupting her though process. She can't make clean-cut decisions, _Sasuke thought. _She's expecting him to do the same thing over and over again, like what I did. I made a mistake._

"Sakura, listen to me!" He kicked back Tomoda, Kakashi throwing trap webs on him. "You have to get up! You have to think about what he's going to do! You can't expect him to do the same thing repeatedly! Think about what he's going to do, and I've taught you how to prevent that from happening!"

_Get up? Think? How can I think when I don't have a chance? I don't have the TIME to think, Sasuke-kun! I'll die! _

**You're thinking right now! **Inner Sakura yelled. **_Listen _to him!**

Ryuho took out a kunai and stepped over Sakura. Naruto screamed angrily. "GET OFF HER!"

He did the appropriate symbols and turned his hands towards Naruto. "Earth Style: Fissure Jutsu!"

The ground erupted, columns of earth flying at Naruto. He jumped higher and higher, avoiding vines and rocks as he was knocked back. Ryuho turned his attention back to Sakura, holding the kunai up high.

"SAKURA! GET UP!" Sasuke's voice echoed in the clearing. "IF YOU DON'T...I'll _never _acknowledge you again. I don't care what Naruto and Kakashi do, but...not even at your goddamn _FUNERAL!_"

Those words rang through Sakura's ears as she stared up at her soon-to-be murderer. _I don't want him to ignore me..._

**Get up! Just do it! You can do it. CHA!**

_Cha..._she thought, remembering how her parents told her to think of a word that was exclusive to only her, and would be a word that made her feel better, no matter what happened. The ground underneath her was warm from her blood. _Cha. He's going to kill me. _

"Sorry," she said quietly to Ryuho, "but...I'm not dying today." She closed her eyes and moved her hands.

He stabbed down at her, kunai burying into...a log. His eyes widened. "What...?"

"Behind you," she said, appearing where she said she was. No longer shaking, her eyes held a look of courage. "If I don't get this fight done soon, I'm gonna die of blood loss."

Sasuke smirked and Naruto, cutting a vine off his leg, laughing. "That's our Sakura!"

Kakashi paused, Tomoda's fist trapped in a crushing grip in his hand. _How is she so resilient? And why wasn't I there to help her?_

Ryuho spit on the ground. "You Konoha freaks are just like cockroaches. Just keep coming, no matter how much bug spray you use."

Sakura glared at him. "You think you're so great? Stealing and pillaging to make a living? It's pathetic." A flash of a shuriken. "You deserve what you get." She threw it at him. No one was about to insult her or her hometown.

He dodged it and put his hands together. "Acid Rain Jutsu!"

Naruto jumped up in the air. "Confinement Glass Sky Jutsu!" he yelled, a glass box forming all around the clearing, the rain dribbling down the sides and collecting on the ceiling. He jumped at Sasuke and slapped his hand. "Tag team," he joked, heading over to fight Tomoda.

Sasuke smirked. "Ryuho, you're just the one I want." He glanced at Sakura. _Jump with me._

_What's he looking at me for? _She stared at him quizzically. _Oh! He's trying to communicate. Get it together! Jump? _she wondered, when his eyes flicked upward and then back to her.

She nodded and jumped same as him. He threw two kunai at her and she caught them, throwing one at Ryuho who countered with two shuriken. He flew away from Sasuke who had just appeared over his head and attempted to slam him into the ground.

Kakashi grabbed Tomoda's fist and threw him to the ground. "Naruto, now!"

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto yelled, creating a dozen clones around him, all going after the blond criminal.

"Don't make me laugh! Come at me then!" he taunted the clones, throwing out a chakra-charged hand to the ground and pushing himself off for a smooth landing on his feet. He did a full-spin kick which knocked out two clones.

Kakashi was moving his hands while Tomoda threw away three more clones and Naruto positioned three shuriken.

"Don't try me!" He kicked back another clone and jumped in the air, tackling another and throwing it into three more. The final three ran at him and he laughed. "Way too persistent!" The last three he punched through, and three round objects flew in the air.

Naruto threw the shuriken at them and broke three strings attached to them. A mist poured out of them, and Tomoda began to cough.

"What is this?!" he exclaimed fearfully.

"Earth Style: Tree Bind Root!" Kakashi's hands thrust to the ground and several thick roots sprung up and wrapped themselves around Tomoda's foot.

"What? No! NO!" he yelled, trying to pull away from the root. The mist billowed around his head and his eyes rolled up to the back of his hand. He crumpled to the ground and the mist dissipated.

"Knockout gas. Harmless," Kakashi narrated.

Naruto smirked.

Sasuke punched an unsuspecting Ryuho. He growled and kicked him back. "Get away from me you Konoha slime!"

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Sasuke yelled, fire spouting out of his mouth at Ryuho.

He jumped high up in the air and Sakura followed him. _He won't stop moving! He's way too agile!_

**Think about what you've learned, idiot! **Inner Sakura bellowed.

_About stopping an enemy? ...Wait...that's it!_

Sakura gathered chakra in her feet and rushed at him. Ryuho sent a fist at her and she shut her eyes. _Take the pain!_

She felt it connect with her head and she flew downward towards Sasuke. He sent a chakra burst towards her and propelled her up again. With perfect aim, the pinkette sliced through his back heel.

"FUCK!" he screamed, falling and collapsing, his foot bleeding profusely. He tried to get up and collapsed again.

"I severed your Achilles tendon," Sakura told him. "Don't try getting up. No tendon, no foot. You won't be able to move."

"How did you know that?" Sasuke asked. "I didn't."

"I read it in a medical text," she said, smiling feebly. "I was bored so I picked it up."

"All accounted for on this end!" Naruto yelled, the box disappearing.

"Mission complete," Sasuke announced.

Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke exchanged glances.

"We...did it." Naruto sounded totally windblown. "We actually..._completed _a mission."

"Konoha ninja. You guys really can do something after all," Sasuke observed.

_Why did I doubt them? Was I wrong? _Kakashi thought. _Do I sell them short?_ He stared at their faces and couldn't help but smile. "You're really happy, aren't you?"

"Of course! We did it!" Naruto exclaimed, punching the air. "It's the greatest feeling I've ever had!"

The boys were smiling at each other. Naruto was true to his word; his heart was beating with excitement and he couldn't stop feeling so happy. The future seemed just a little brighter to him. To Sasuke, he felt, for the first time, that there were people other than himself whom he could trust on their word, and Naruto and Sakura had done so by completing the mission successfully.

_Sakura._ Now she had truly shown dedication. She had pulled through and battled alongside them despite her mild system shut-down before. Watching her fight and stand up, to smirk and crack a joke at Ryuho, made Sasuke feel good. He couldn't describe _how_. Maybe it was teacher-student pride.

His eyes widened. "Crack a joke?!" _No!_

He spun around. "Sakura!"

Said girl was not partaking in the celebration around her. She was lying face-down on the ground, blood leaking from every cut and slash on her body, forming a lake around her. Looking at the battlefield all around her, Sasuke realized something. One, almost all the blood—there was a lot of it—on the field was hers. And two...

"_**If I don't get this fight done soon, I'm gonna die of blood loss."**_

Sakura hadn't been kidding.

**XxXxXx**

Cliffhanger! I think there's been a lack of those currently. Well, I'm in high spirits because of an amazing video game symphony I attended and found the recording of on the internet. "Theme of Laura" from _Silent Hill 2_ is amazingly well done, and that's just one out of many!

I wasn't originally going to have so much Neji is this chapter, but I decided it would be best to elaborate on his character a bit. Also, Ino's desperate and she wouldn't be shy to do such things to get what she needs!

As for Sakura's shut-down, I would have expected it. She's a good girl, afraid of pain, never really felt that much pain, and also was in the heat of battle with so much knowledge in her mind and not knowing _what _to use.

I haven't had any practice writing battle scenes, so I apologize if it's not up-to-par, I'll try harder with them. I can't really put the intensity of a battle onto paper, something I want to be able to do as I continue writing.


	6. Apple Trees

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
****Slight AU warning.  
****Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!**

Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja triggers a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?

Note: _Italicized lines _often mean thoughts of a character or in some cases dreams. **Bolded lines **often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. **_Bolded italicized lines_ **often mean flashbacks.

The Author Speaks: There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information given.There will be limes/_possible _lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes.

Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except most of the characters are fifteen instead of thirteen. Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire. And yes, you guessed it! The Otokage is Orochimaru. Kakashi never lost his eye.

Definitions:

Jinchuuriki – tailed beast holders (i.e. Gaara, Naruto)

Songs:  
"Blood" by My Chemical Romance  
"Because You Live" by Jesse McCartney  
"The Best Is Yet To Come" by SR-71  
"How Does It Feel" by Avril Lavigne

**Show Me a Hero**

**_Chapter 6 – Apple Trees_**

Kakashi was at Sakura's side in a second. He gathered her up in his arms, keeping her head against his chest. He felt his shirt and hands grow very wet. The blood from her various wounds were bubbling up over the cuts and dripping down from her skin. She grew paler by the second.

Many situations were running through Sasuke's head. Each time Sakura had been hurt, cut, beaten down to the ground. His chest tightened. She had been too confident earlier. She had been ready; there was no way anyone would be so cruel to take her life as punishment for a simple mistake. They had all been duped, expecting the thieves to be just that; not trained ninja.

He watched Kakashi disappear with Sakura. Naruto was surprisingly silent. He was staring at the blood-splattered ground and the stolen goods.

"They were gonna kill us over jewelry. Teenagers, us. What if Sakura dies?! Was this worth it?" he asked, shaking.

"Sakura will not die," Sasuke said. He said it not because it was true, but because it soothed him. When he thought of Sakura, he became blithe. She might not have done it intentionally, but she healed his anti-social heart, just a bit. He began to gather chakra in his legs. "I don't think it would be a good idea to stand around here. Let's follow Kakashi-sensei."

"But..." the Jinchuuriki trailed off when Sasuke gave him a searching, cold glare. He nodded. "Fine."

Sasuke went first, dashing through the trees and back to the town, Naruto trailing behind. The raven-haired boy saw Tatsuha standing with his police force by the store. He saw a blood trail leading past them and onto a roof.

"Tatsuha! Where did Kakashi go?" he barked, stopping.

"Oh...you're alive," the police captain said in shock. "I thought...he flew past here with the girl in his arms, bleeding like hell. I was preparing the team to storm the woods, because I thought something went wrong."

"The criminals are unconscious in the woods. The jewelry is still with them. Be very cautious; they're actually ninja." Sasuke noted his surprised look. "Kakashi didn't stop and talk to you at all?"

"No. He went in the wrong direction too; our hospital is by Hotel Mizuho. Wait...ninja?!"

Naruto swore. "What the hell is Kakashi thinking? Did he...he isn't going all the way to Konoha!"

"That's his mindset," Sasuke confirmed, fuming. "Idiot..." He launched into the air and dashed over rooftops, following the blood trail towards their hometown. A bewildered Naruto followed after realizing his teammate had disappeared.

Kakashi was flying through the deep forests, his chakra burning up at an incredible rate. He felt no strain at all. There was no way he'd even think of stopping to rest, not with his student bleeding to death.

_You idiot, you son of a bitch, you worthless piece of crap of a teacher. How could you do that? How could you let Sasuke be Sakura's caretaker, not even moving to help her when she was clearly in danger? Why do you never trust yourself with other people's lives? For god's sake, you can't keep on doing this to yourself! No, you have to get _over _it! It can't hinder your performance the way that it did. You're a teacher; you have to take care of them. You can't throw away the responsibility._

He saw the wall approaching, and sent a final burst of chakra to his legs, hitting the side of the wall, climbing up to the top. The guard station was empty, and there were no communication devices around. Then again, there never was anyone at the stations.

Sakura's head rolled to the opposite side, hanging off his hand. He hoisted her up again. He leapt off the wall and onto a roof, which cracked from the impact. Deciding it was unsafe to wander over Konoha roofing, he jumped to the ground, in the middle of the busy market.

People scattered when he landed and turned to look at him. He counted to three in his head before the commotion started.

"He's carrying a bleeding girl!"

"Murderer! What did you do?"

"No, that's Hatake Kakashi and his student!"

"The team that was sent out on the missions?"

"SAKURA!" the man heard someone scream. Ino pushed through the crowd, her eyes already tearing. Her periwinkle eyes scanned over her best friend's body and she wobbled, stepping back. "What...WHAT HAPPENED TO HER!"

Kakashi couldn't answer. "Out of my way!" he yelled, his chakra too low to use for jumping. He tore through the crowds, pushing past a horrified Ino whom he felt follow.

The hospital was a small building of white faded brick. There was no door, instead an empty frame where flies buzzed through in the winter. The inside was dimly lit, and it was obvious no one took good care of it. Dust lined every empty shelf and blood-crusted trays were stacked up in the corner near open bits of wall where electrical sockets were sticking out, buzzing with sparks. Refrigerators used for storage were filled with things that were years old and forgotten about, and storage rooms were bare or completely disorganized, with rats knocking things off shelves. The staff was very small, with only three doctors and four nurses.

Kakashi barreled through the open frame, holding Sakura close. The nurse at the entrance desk which was more like a table stood up. "Can I help you?"

"Can you help me? Yeah, you can fucking help me. This girl needs a blood transfusion right now!"

"A...transfusion?" she asked blankly.

"...You don't know what that is? For fuck's sake, GET ME A DOCTOR!" he roared.

A man flew down the steps, wearing a yellow-stained labcoat. He stared at Sakura. "What happened here?"

"We were in a mission, she was badly hurt and she's lost too much blood. She needs a transfusion." His voice was shaking. Every second they wasted, Sakura was slipping away.

"A transfusion? Hatake-san, we have no blood to give her," the doctor, Mazaki, said. "Hey! Get away, there's nothing to see here!" he yelled at the people gathered around the front, watching them anxiously.

He stared. "...What?"

"We've never had anyone donate blood here. And any blood we were given is too old to be used." Mazaki shook his head. "I..."

Kakashi let out an angered screech. "You're kidding me! What kind of hospital is this?!"

"This isn't a hospital. It's a giant corpse pit," a familiar voice spoke, stepping in from the crowd with a spiky-haired boy. Sasuke Uchiha folded his arms, a murderous glint in his eye. "This place is useless. There are no real medical tools and the place is too filthy to even be safe to operate in. These so-called doctors and nurses aren't real. They went to Oto for a year to study medicine and were awarded with a diploma. I probably know more about anatomy than them."

Outside, a woman was watching the white-stone building with interest. The door was surrounded for a reason she couldn't fathom. Vendors had abandoned their carts, and children were taking what they pleased, stuffing it under their dirty shirts and running off with worn-out shoes, laughing madly. Wondering what was more important than making money with homemade wares, she walked to the outside of the crowd. A girl of about fifteen was trying to push her way through. One look at her tight, short clothing was enough for a judgment of character.

"What's going on here?" she asked the girl.

She turned around, her painted face coming apart from tears. "M-My friend's in there! They went on a mission and now she's hurt!"

_A mission...Konoha's giving out missions? _Last time she heard about them, their economy had dropped from a mission standstill.

Inside, Sasuke's words had brought Naruto around to the truth. "You're not capable doctors or nurses. You...is the reason why so many people die on missions is because _you _couldn't save them?!" When Mazaki didn't reply, Naruto gritted his teeth. "You...what kind of person can you be?!"

"Don't judge _me_!" Mazaki yelled. "I could barely feed myself! At least I was smart enough to take that goddamn course so I could become a doctor, get money and not have to do anything! I'm sorry, but I can't help your friend. But I'm more worried about me!"

"Judge you? How's this for a judgment? I'd fucking kill you right now if I wouldn't be arrested later!" Naruto screamed.

"Shut up, all of you!" a new voice echoed around the dirty room. Strong and female, all attention was directed to the entrance. A woman just over petite stood there, medium length blond hair draped over her bare shoulders sporting a grey open top showing off cleavage from an ample chest. A green skirt went down to her knees. She was quite muscular, and a purple diamond mark was blazoned on her forehead above amber eyes.

Without wasting words, she strode over to Kakashi. "What happened to her?"

"Who are you?" Naruto interrogated.

"Wasting time to answer your question will only kill this girl now I will ask again, what happened?" she asked.

Kakashi had serious doubts that he could trust her, but he was desperate. "She was cut everywhere. She's lost too much blood and I think she needs a transfusion."

She nodded curtly. "Into a room," she ordered.

"Excuse me! Who gave you permission to use this facility?" Mazaki asked.

The woman glared at him. "Since you don't have a door I assumed I could walk in any time," she spat. She turned away from him. "Interfere and you'll find your organs spilling from your mouth." She pushed open a door into a small patient room.

Kakashi entered and Sasuke and Naruto followed. She pointed at the exam table which looked sickeningly like the bloody trays stacked up in the entrance room. He laid her down on it and the woman looked down at her.

"Your name," she said.

"Don't answer her!" Naruto exclaimed. "How can we trust her?!"

"Naruto, shut up," Sasuke muttered.

"Kakashi Hatake," he stated hastily.

"What's your relationship to this girl?" she asked, unzipping Sakura's dress.

"Hey hey hey HEY! Stop it! What're you doing?!" he asked.

"Examining her. Her wounds aren't on her clothes," she said, opening her dress and pulling up her black mesh shirt.

"Is that your excuse to touch her, you freak?!" the boy started towards her, only to be pulled away by Sasuke. "What, you're on her side?"

"You're a distraction."

"A distraction! How am—" he caught the look on the woman's face. It was of impatient anger. Her hand was on Sakura's side, the girl's blood-soaked bra exposed. Lacerations covered her body, all bleeding profusely. Naruto shut his mouth, suddenly feeling immature and stupid.

"The more you distract me, the less time she has. If you really care about annoying me do it after I'm finished with helping this girl. Now, do I have to repeat myself?" The woman was massaging the girl's skin.

"...She's my student," Kakashi said. "Sakura Haruno. Those two are her teammates Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki. We were sent on a C-class mission and...this is the result."

"Blood type."

"Hers...is..." Kakashi didn't know at all. They didn't keep records of blood type, and no one knew how to tell.

"O-," she answered herself, a droplet of blood on her finger. "Great. Can't receive anything other than the same thing."

She reached into her shirt and pulled out a kunai. Before Kakashi could ask her why she was carrying around a weapon, she had held out her hand and slashed it open like she was buttering toast.

Naruto's mouth fell open. "W-What did you do that for?"

"I'm going to perform a conversion-transfusion," she said. "I have to convert my own blood type, B-, to O- and then transfuse it to Sakura. I also have to clot her wounds."

"Can you _do _that?" Naruto asked, disbelieving.

"I wouldn't perform it if I couldn't do it. It'll take a few hours. I need you all to leave the room." She was pouring chakra into her hand which she placed over one of the pinkette's wounds.

Naruto was ready to deny her, but a look at the situation negated that thought. As much as he didn't want Sakura's life in the hands of someone who didn't even know her, he felt that he could trust the mysterious woman as long as his friend turned out alright.

So, they left the room. Kakashi didn't stay; he said he had to go inform Lord Sarutobi of their mission success. Personally, Sasuke wanted to go with him. The tension in the moldy waiting room was very discomforting. Naruto was pacing around the room, muttering to himself, and he himself was very worried. The woman seemed to know what she was talking about, but was it too late?

The Uchiha thought back to when he met her. He had been under the influence of rumors and thought she was a whore like her friend Ino and that she had as much talent as a snail. She proved him to be dead wrong. She had a strong will and had inner strength that she hadn't even known. Those emerald eyes had a way of looking into him and pulling out every thorn in his heart that pained him whenever he tried to feel. Comparing himself to his three-month younger self, he felt warmer.

His father had always warned against too much attachment. But perhaps, it was so little trust that caused Itachi to go crazy. Sasuke had never considered it before.

His dark eyes lingered on the door. The suspense was unbearable. His foot wouldn't stop tapping the ground.

_Please, don't die Sakura..._

**XxXxXx**

Kakashi's throat clenched tightly when he opened his mouth to speak. Lord Sarutobi sat opposite him, a perplexed look on his face. The entire ten minutes he had been there was full of complete silence.

"I'm assuming you completed the mission successfully?" Sarutobi surmised, pulling out the necessary documents. "Excellent, this is truly a good thing. Where is the reward?"

"...I...I didn't collect it. Yet," Kakashi hastily added. "One of my students was injured, and I panicked."

"Who was hurt?" Sarutobi sounded genuinely concerned. He had a sinking feeling that someone wouldn't be coming back. It always happened. At least it wasn't the whole team.

"Sakura Haruno. She's being healed at the hospital. Well, not by any of the doctors. A woman burst in." Kakashi was very surprised by the condition of the hospital. As he had never been there before, he didn't think that a place of healing could be so horrid. "We need a new hospital. I can't believe I entrusted my student to a stranger."

"One of the things I've been trying to do is repair the hospital. Unfortunately, with no money coming in and inadequate doctors I haven't been able to do that. I have a list of goals that I want to see happen, but..." he paused, and cleared his throat. "Who was the woman?"

"A stranger. She had blond hair and _really _huge boobs." Kakashi looked thoughtful. "Now that I think about it, I might have seen her somewhere before..."

Sarutobi's eyes widened. "She returned my summons?...Tsunade..."

"What?!" Kakashi exclaimed. "That was Tsunade?! But...she left fifteen years ago and you haven't been able to contact her at all! Why now, all of a sudden?" He clearly remembered her now—beautiful but violent, a short tempered woman who was the pinnacle of a kunoichi. She left when he was fourteen, he remembered everyone begging her to stay, that she was one of the greatest things that ever happened to Konoha. "She...looks exactly the same as when I was born. How is that possible?"

"Tsunade is afraid of her physical self aging. It's no surprise she'd keep herself looking young." Sarutobi stared down at his desk. "Truthfully, I'm astonished she'll even talk to me."

"What did you do?" The silver-haired man had never seen the lord so nervous.

Sarutobi shook his head. "That is none of your concerns, Kakashi. If Tsunade is indeed treating Sakura, she will be fine. Go back to your student and tell her to see me immediately."

He nodded. "But, what about the reward?" One look from the old man and he understood. "I'll get it as soon as I can, Lord Sarutobi."

Kakashi left his office. Sarutobi waited until he was far away and opened up a desk drawer. He took out a picture frame and examined it sadly. A young woman with long blond hair was smiling at him, a medical book tucked under her arm.

He sighed deeply. "...Tsunade. Are you the only one that is still a good person?"

**XxXxXx**

Kakashi arrived back at the hospital not a moment too soon. Naruto had somehow fallen asleep in a chair. He didn't blame the kid. He had fought hard and was exhausted. Sasuke looked the same, but he was still awake, his eyelids drooping. He was hunched forward and rocking back and forth, unable to sit still, afraid he'd fall asleep as well.

Tsunade entered through the door. Sasuke rocketed off the chair, and shook Naruto awake. He snorted and rubbed his watery eyes.

"Whaz goin' on?" he asked with a huge yawn. Tsunade caught his eye and he stood up. "Oh! Is she...?"

Tsunade smiled. "Sakura will be fine. The transfusion was successful."

Sasuke felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his chest. Kakashi's mouth curled up into a relieved grin. Naruto nearly collapsed again.

"You're serious?! Oh, thank god..." the blond boy breathed.

"You can go see her. She's sleeping, and it will take a few days for her to heal. I suggest we leave her here until she's completely recovered." Tsunade led them into the room. It was surprisingly clean, no blood anywhere.

_She really is a pro, _Kakashi thought.

Sakura was sleeping on the tray, a blanket on her comfortably. Her hair was spread out around her, and she made little breathing noises in her sleep. Sasuke walked over to her. Absent-mindedly, he brushed a piece of pink hair out of her face, and smiled at her once again rosy face.

"Sasuke, how's she look?" Naruto asked, jittery.

"...Beautiful," he answered quietly.

"Huh? What'd you say?"

Sasuke couldn't believe he said that. Of all the things to say... "Healthy."

"Who are you, lady?" Naruto inquired the woman. "You said I could annoy you now."

Tsunade smiled. "Well..."

"Tsunade," Kakashi answered for her. "A famous medical ninja and once a resident of Konoha."

Sasuke's head snapped up. "Tsunade? The Great Healer Tsunade?"

Tsunade scratched her head. "Yeah, that's what they call me."

"You used to live here?" Naruto sounded amazed. "Wow, how'd you get out? It's not easy to move away from here. And you're so strong. How did you learn to do stuff like that?"

"You're overwhelming me with questions. Well, for one thing many years of practice. Many, _many _years of studying medical jutsu."

"How many years? You don't look a day over twenty-five!" the Jinchuuriki exclaimed.

"Appearances can be deceiving," she said wisely. "I wouldn't have been to leave Konoha if it hadn't been for Sarutobi-sensei."

"Sarutobi...sensei?!" Naruto's mouth dropped open. Even Sasuke looked surprised. "You...he taught you?"

"Sure did," she confirmed. "He raised me along with my two other teammates to be strong. I guess he's gotten too old for this, though..."

"Lord Sarutobi wants to speak to you," Kakashi remembered to say. "Immediately."

She nodded. "I was planning to meet with him anyway. Before I go, I need someone to go and get some of Sakura's personal things and better sleeping equipment. I don't want her to sleep on that tray the whole time."

Sasuke nodded. "Naruto and I will go."

"I'll tag along too," someone else decided. Ino was standing in the doorway. "I have a spare key to her house. Plus...I wanna help my friend. We can't have two boys looking through all her stuff."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked.

Ino giggled and crossed over to Sakura. Her smile faded and was replaced with a sad frown. "Oh, Sakura. I'm glad you're alright. You're really strong, aren't you? Unlike me...I envy you."

"I'll go back and claim the reward," Kakashi said.

Tsunade shook her head. "Before you do that, I want you to accompany me to Sarutobi-sensei."

"What, do you need directions?"

Her face darkened suddenly. "Something like that."

Kakashi's hairs stood up on end. She looked demonic now. He wasn't looking forward to walking with her.

**XxXxXx**

"Here it is," Ino said, pointing out apartment door 429.

"I didn't know she lived in this building. It's far from my house," Naruto observed.

Ino inserted the key into the lock and it clicked. She opened the door slowly, the creaking loud and irritating. Sasuke stepped into her apartment and was followed by the other two. Ino shut the door just as slowly and switched on the light.

The apartment wasn't dirty, but it was clear Sakura didn't strain herself to keep the place spotless. They were behind some sort of rail dividing the entrance from the confined kitchen. Ino directed them through the living room and into her bedroom which was connected directly to the living room.

"Is this all?" Sasuke asked, shocked.

"This, the other two rooms, and a bathroom. She's not loaded, what with her parents always gone," Ino said.

"And I thought _I _had it bad..." Naruto murmured. "At least I have a whole house, not just four rooms."

Sasuke went over to her dresser and pulled open a drawer. He found himself staring at a small array of lingerie. Burning red, he turned away. "I think it would be best if Naruto and I gathered...the other things."

"Pervert," Ino teased, smiling. "Alright, I'll get her clothes packed. Lessee if I can find a bag..." she began to sift through her closet and produced a small tote bag. "Good enough." She began to throw clothes into the bag topsy-turvy.

Sasuke carefully lifted her blanket off the mattress and folded it to a relatively portable size before displacing the mattress from the bed. It looked lumpy and old. He frowned.

Naruto's stomach growled. He went into the kitchen. Ino frowned. "You aren't going to take her food, are you?"

"Just a little bit. I'm sure she won't mind," he called. "Don't worry, I won't take much."

Sasuke observed Ino mumbling to herself as she stuffed a pair of panties in the tote. Underneath the makeup and tight clothing he could see a caring individual. _Was I too harsh to judge her so quickly? When I was a child I didn't make contact with anyone outside my family. There was no way I could've known what she was like other than how I saw her at the academy. And because I disregarded her as a stupid prostitute I categorized Sakura the same way. Father taught me to judge accordingly...I guess I wasn't very thorough._

"What're you staring at?" Ino had a small smirk on her face, looking at Sasuke. "I don't take clients now, sorry." When she noticed the look on his face, she giggled. "I'm joking. I guess it's because of what's happening. Sakura and all." She paused, holding the tote. "My worst fear is to be ugly. I've seen the pictures of female ninja—most of them are not pretty after ten years or so. I think that if I get scarred in some fight or whatever, I won't be beautiful. But...I'm also afraid Dad will hate me when he finds out what I do. I'm in such a predicament."

"...Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," Sasuke recited. "No matter what you do, someone will think you're ugly."

"I guess the vast majority then," Ino responded. "What about you? What do you rate me?"

_She's relaxed, even though Sakura is hurt. Is this how some people are? Normal? Maybe she likes being in the spotlight. _"I don't really think of girls much."

"That's fine. Come on, on a scale of one to ten."

"...Six," Sasuke decided after a quick thought. "I don't like fake girls."

He could have sworn her eyes lost a bit of life from his remark. She turned her head and smiled sadly. "I see..."

They were interrupted by Naruto in the kitchen. "You guys had better come in here!"

Sasuke stood up and put down the mattress. He silently left the room, casting a sideways glance at the girl. Ino looked put out. Entering the kitchen, he saw Naruto standing at the fridge, head buried in his folded hands resting at the top. He shuddered and rolled his head so one teary eye was visible to Sasuke.

"Look," he said, swallowing hard and moving away from the fridge. He wiped his eyes and opened the fridge. It was bare sans a carton of milk, some butter and cups of yogurt.

Sasuke's eyes filled with disbelief. He opened the cupboards around him. All empty, minus sugar, spices, some beef jerky packs and instant noodles. There was nothing past the utensils but bottles of water. Ino appeared behind them, her eyes darting to each cupboard. "No way..."

The raven-haired boy slammed the cupboard door closed. "She's fucking starving!" he swore.

"Sakura's got practically no food! I guess this is why she was eating so much at Hotel Mizuho," Naruto recalled.

Sasuke smashed his fist into the wood, eyes closed as he shook. "She was _always _collapsing in practice. I always thought it was because she overworked herself, but she had no goddamn energy because she was STARVING! WHY DIDN'T I SEE THIS BEFORE?!"

"I found this in her room." Ino held out a letter addressed to Sakura. It was an eviction notice with a summary of her bill.

"She's going to be evicted," Naruto realized. "Holy...that's...but...not _our_ Sakura? Where's she gonna live?"

"...She wasn't even planning to tell us, was she? I'd find her dead in the streets, shriveled up from starvation..." Sasuke shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Don't put that into your head. I think...I have to do _something,_" Ino pleaded to herself. "But what? Steal money from the register? It's not like I can move her in."

Sasuke's thoughts were erased from his mind at that statement. Naruto paced around. "I can't afford to help her. Argh, that makes me sound like a prick. I mean, two people in my house? I don't make or get enough money for that."

"It's always the money. Maybe I could work more or ask for her, and give her a share. Why are you staring at me?" Ino was referring to Sasuke.

"...She's going to live with me." It came out of his mouth without warning. He had been thinking it, and had decided it, and wasn't going to take it back.

"Ahwha?!" Naruto's eyes bugged out of his head.

"I can support two people, and there's enough room. There's no problem with the arrangement." The darker-haired boy cast a glance over to Ino. "Don't think I'd try anything."

"You took the words right out of my mouth. I only know you from the academy, and I can't exactly put my faith in you." She was stern, no room for argument.

"If you can't trust me, then don't ask me those kinds of questions," he deflected darkly.

She was silenced. Why did she feel hostile all of a sudden? Was it because he was more of a help to her than she, and she had been the pinkette's friend for years, while this emotional, mysterious boy knew her for only a few months? She could feel her discomfort in her chest, and for just a moment she registered it in her mind that Sakura was much safer with Sasuke. Ino felt like she had failed her friend. _Thanks for ruining my self-esteem, you jerk,_ she thought.

**XxXxXx**

Sarutobi heard the familiar squeaking of a door, and lifted his gaze to greet whoever had entered. How surprised he was to see Tsunade in all her glory, looking too young and making his memory files spill open. Kakashi followed her inside, looking meek.

"...Tsunade." He couldn't think of anything else to say. "It's been fifteen years. Why do you suddenly decide to return?"

"Your current letter interested me more than the others, sensei. That's all. Before I respond to your letter, however, I want to make one thing clear." Tsunade cast a glance at Kakashi. "I want his teaching license suspended."

Needless to say, Kakashi was startled. "W-What?!"

"On what assumption should I do such a thing?" Sarutobi asked. "He's trustworthy, don't you remember him being so?"

"He was a teenager, a stupid one just like the others. The only thing you could trust him with was setting garbage—and garbage cans—on fire. Kakashi can't teach. If he could there's no way I would have had to save one of his students. Sakura was nearly doomed. No teacher would let his student get in such bad shape!" There was a fire in her eyes. She hated seeing children hurt. It reminded her of things she didn't want to recall.

"How dare you insult my teaching! We were misinformed; that's why the battle turned out badly. We still succeeded, and _Sakura _is one of the reasons!" Kakashi grew defensive. He didn't want anyone bashing his commitment as a teacher or those threes' capabilities.

"Did you really teach her at all?" The woman challenged. "Because you would have made sure she was prepared in battle."

He had been dealt a blow he couldn't defend. He _hadn't _taught her. Sasuke had, and he wasn't an actual teacher. In fact, he had ignored Naruto too.

"You can't judge my teaching just on them. If you really want to do so, look at Sasuke. I taught him. Sakura and Naruto, however...I neglected." It tasted bitter coming out of his mouth. It was a mistake he knew he wouldn't hear the end of.

She let out an acrid laugh. "Oh, that's so much better. Playing favorites, hmm? You know, it's people like him who are making this place worse."

"Don't you dare start with me on that," he said. "I've heard enough from a certain someone." He couldn't forget that night Sakura came to his house. Her words had really hit him hard. "I know I screwed up. Am I not allowed to fix it? The Chuunin exams are coming up soon. If I hold them back from that, they'll hate me forever. They want to take it this year, and I know I haven't trained two of them but that's not stopping them. They have willpower that you can't find anymore. I'm not extinguishing it. I tried it, and I thought about it, but it didn't work. And that's why I know they'll make it."

"...For someone I pegged as stupid, you really aren't..." Tsunade sighed. "I just...maybe I'm overreacting."

"Kakashi, you felt the same way a long time ago," Sarutobi reminded him.

"Yeah," he smiled sadly. "I remember. Don't bring that up."

"Kakashi, I'm gonna give you one more chance. You're different than you used to be. I think with some good guidance this place can be saved."

"You give me one more chance? Who put you in charge?"

She smirked. "When Sarutobi-sensei asked me to help him lead Konoha."

The room grew silent. Kakashi coughed, and glanced at Sarutobi. "You did what?"

"I can't lead anymore. I've grown too old, too tired to be the jaws of life for this dying village. I need someone young to take my place. Someone who still has fight left in them."

_Lord...are we really sapping your life?_ Kakashi thought, feeling disheartened.

"Don't let this out to the public. If they knew their leader was slowly passing on the reigns, it would cause mayhem." He shook his head. "They cannot live without being led."

"I have plans already," Tsunade said. "That hospital is my top priority. It's a good size, and I know this place will be alright in a few years if everything goes right."

_The problem is, everything seems to go wrong here,_ Kakashi thought glumly.

**XxXxXx**

Sakura's eyes fluttered open and she took a look at her surroundings. A low ceiling, a familiar mattress, and depressingly-painted walls alerted her that it wasn't he room, but contained a likeness. She found herself on her mattress and tucked under her blanket.

Sasuke was close by, at her side. Her heart lurched when she saw his handsome face, looking at her with worry painted over his features. Ino and Naruto were outside the room, bickering. She heard Naruto speak something of alone time, and she realized that she was alive.

"Sasuke..." his name rolled off her tongue like she savored saying it. His face had gone blurry before she fell. She didn't think that they would have a reunion.

"You're awake," he stated lamely. "Tsunade healed you."

Tears were cascading down her rosy face with nothing to stop them. She didn't know who Tsunade was and she didn't know where she was for that matter, she didn't care. Nothing scared her more than death and being so close to it and surviving it was the worst experience of her life. Yet, to have someone sitting beside her and keeping faith uplifted her spirit.

She took his face in her hands. He stuttered in confusion, seeing her blurry emerald orbs covered in salty tears.

"Sakura?"

She drew him close, staring at his face long and hard. Her hands moved behind him and he felt her push him against her. She buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing.

He wasn't used to this situation. Crying was supposed to be a weakness—no one in his family did it in front of someone else. Here he was now, completely and utterly taken by surprise and with no idea what to say. So, he mirrored her and did the same thing. Pretty soon, she was doing all the talking.

"I never want to be so weak again. I don't want to be unfaithful and slow, stupid, a burden..." she moaned. "I just want to be useful. I've never been useful. Why is it everything I do always turns out badly?"

She was asking _him?_ He didn't know. It's not like he had been there for her whole life. Still, he had a feeling he should comfort her. The word sounded foreign in his head. "You aren't useless. Don't say that. You can do so many things and screwing up isn't a bad thing. Just relax, please. You're in the hospital, you probably are just a little dazed."

"Don't make up excuses for my sake. I'm just an idiot. No matter what I do," she wept, "somehow it turns out badly. I tried to establish a relationship with my parents, and they leave me do rendezvous like I don't even exist."

He couldn't reply with an 'I know how you feel' or anything of the sort. He didn't know at all. She was pouring her heart and soul to him and the best thing he could think of was to pat her on the back and try to steer the conversation away from even more depressing matters. "You do exist, you're here right now. They don't hate you."

"I know that! Haven't you been listening?" she snapped, hiccupping. "Maybe...maybe I'm repulsive to be around. You've been to my apartment, haven't you? How can explain this to my parents? We all live in that godforsaken place together! And now it's gone. I haven't eaten properly for weeks, I have no house, I can't secure a job and now this...it's like someone has it out for me, trying to keep me unhappy for the rest of my life."

"Never say that!" Sasuke barked. He stood up away from her, unable to bear her suicidal words any longer. "Don't wish it away as something of fate! Fate does not control our lives. The reason you have bad luck is because you don't approach things properly—you're too reserved and harmless and people just knock you flat over and complain about their hurt arm, when you're the one on the floor! Get up, yell at them, and keep moving! Don't dwell on pointless things!"

He stopped to draw a breath, and saw Naruto and Ino watching him through the window. Sakura's soft face glimmered with awe at his words, her sparkling tears leaving cascading stains down her cheeks.

"S-Sasuke..." she stammered.

"I didn't mean to raise my voice," he began again calmly. "I just couldn't stand the way you kept on taking stabs at yourself. People who defame their own character cannot see themselves any other way, and that is what causes hate and violence and eventually...Konoha." There was really no other way to describe it. "Don't morph into the people out there. Instead of worrying about things that have come and passed, think of the things that will happen and wonder how to approach it.'

The pinkette sniffled, and he noticed her lips crack upward just a little bit. "Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again."

"That sounds like a song I heard on the radio," she commented.

She was starting to hold a conversation. He took this as improvement. "It was on my dad's old collection. But seriously...don't think of yourself as so small. Sure, you're one person in this huge world, but that shouldn't stop you from trying to be what you want. It might screw up once in a while, but know that the person whom it affects most is yourself, and you're most likely the only one who can fix it."

"I thought I had more confidence than this," she said, wiping her cheeks.

"You do! Everyone has a confidence issue at some point. Just calm down and think it through, _please._ I'm going to help you get back on your feet." He took her hands in his. "I swear."

"I-I guess if you really want to lend me money, then I can buy another apartment," she spoke, but he shook his head.

"Lending someone money doesn't give them the experience to root themselves to the ground and provide for themselves. Sure, apples fall off trees and people eat apples, but trees can't eat what they produce. They make their food, and then give. Konoha right now is an apple tree who sucks all the nutrients out of the ground but doesn't produce a single apple. Don't become one of those trees. No, I'm not lending you any money. You have to make it on your own. In exchange for eating my food and living in my house you will become part of the income."

Sakura took in what he said, processing it slowly. When she arrived at the last section her expression changed to that of a hen, curious and cocked, staring at him with unfaltering eyes that begged an answer. "Living in your house? Sasuke, you don't mean..."

"You're going to live with me," he declared. "As long as you want to, you can stay. My doors are always open to my friends."

Her eyes began to tear up again, though not producing buckets like before. "You're such a...a..."

"Bastard? Heartless freak? Dickhead?" he joked, gesturing his hands at each derogatory term.

"Bastard. Yeah, let's go with that," she said, making a noise that was between a giggle and a sob, and hugged him again.

**XxXxXx**

_Heavy _Team 7 chapter, with a dash of Ino. I know they've been the main focus of my fic so far, but don't worry. They're pretty much the center of the fic in terms of shaping it so I can write about the others.

Tsunade has been introduced, and yes she does come off as bitchy. I can't say I blame her for being irked by the state her hometown is in. She's definitely going to be an important character concerning the overall fate of Konoha, and will have spotlight, no question.

Sakura's not a perfect character either. She's finally letting her emotions out at being frustrated by failure her whole life, and Sasuke just happens to be around to comfort her. He's not a comforting type, but I tried to shift his character so he was still firm, but not a cold bastard. I think I did it, well. I'd like input on how I portrayed him.

Everything concerning Kakashi will also play itself out as the story goes. Don't worry if you're confused about anything now; it will all smoothen out. Expect another Team 7 heavy chapter next, because it's the Chuunin exams. You'll also see a bit more development on Neji, Tsunade, and Team 10. Also, I'm introducing yet another new character, so prepare yourself!


	7. For the Unfortunate, I Give You Nothing

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
****Slight AU warning.  
****Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!**

Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja triggers a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?

Note: _Italicized lines _often mean thoughts of a character or in some cases dreams. **Bolded lines **often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. **_Bolded italicized lines_ **often mean flashbacks.

The Author Speaks: There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information given.There will be limes/_possible _lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes. This chapter, 7, contains a use of language demeaning towards women, so be wary and I hope my female readers aren't personally insulted.

Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except most of the characters are fifteen instead of thirteen. Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire. And yes, you guessed it! The Otokage is Orochimaru. Kakashi never lost his eye.

Definitions:  
souba – thin, grayish-brown noodles made from buckwheat flour  
ochazuke – soup made from green tea, dashi (soup stock), or hot water over rice

Songs:  
"Welcome to My Life" by Simple Plan (for Chouji)  
"Hate (I Really Don't Like You)" by Plain White T's (for Ino from Shikamaru)  
"Same Cry" by Jin  
"What About Your Friends" by TLC

**Show Me a Hero**

**_Chapter 7 – For the Unfortunate, I Give You Nothing _**

For a midwinter's day, it was comfortably warm with the temperature reaching up to the sixties. The snow was melting into small rivers that poured into the sewage grates and down streets, making everything slick and wet under the sun.

Kakashi was one of the few people not outside enjoying the scarcely good weather and instead was sitting at a sticky bar counter with an ice-cold glass of beer and his friend Shikaku Nara who was feeling the effect of pulling an all-nighter at a cheap bar. His money spilled over the counter and he'd pluck out a few crisp ryo every time his glass emptied and would throw it at the barkeep barking for more.

The bar was lit with only a few dark lamps and was a typical style—wooden everything with no air-conditioning other than two old creaky fans hanging from the low ceiling. The door to the basement was chained off with a 'do not enter' sign—the barkeep didn't want drunkards wrecking the place where he lived.

Kakashi had been with Shikaku all night, dreading the meeting that would be held in the afternoon concerning the Chuunin exam selections. Unable to sleep, he had climbed out of bed and gone for a walk at four a.m. and ended up on the red cushioned swivel seat next to his ranting friend.

"So I was in the kitchen doin' nothin' important," Shikaku drawled in his slurred tone, "An' Shika-ka...Shika...my son was watchin' TV, an' Yoshino, well she started buggin' me. 'Didja take out the garbage?' she asks me an' o' course I dint an' she starts naggin' me to 'take out the garbage you lazy brute', an' I says 'don' talk to me like that I'm sorry I jus' don' feel like it' an' she goes 'you never feel like it and I'm gettin' sick of it so you go do it now' an' I says 'later when I wanna' an' she gets fed up and yells at Shika-ka...my son to do it and he says he's busy watchin' TV which issa good excuse aint it? And she starts screamin' at him to 'get off his ass an' take it out how can you treat your mother this way an' how you is worthless' an' I get pissed an' say 'don' talk to your kid like that' and then I sorta punched her in the face and she starts cryin' and callin' me horrible and Shika-ka...my son turns up the TV yellin' that we're too loud an' he can't hear nothing an' she throws somethin' at me tellin' me to 'get the hell outta here you worthless piece of crap an' to think you used to be a ninja' an' now I'm here an' I love her I really do well I think I do and if I go home will she forgive me cuz I'm thinkin' she's tired of doin' everythin' but it aint my fault if I don' wanna do it right?"

Kakashi stared at the unshaven brunette disbelievingly. Usually he would shrug, agree with him, and ask for another round. However this was the first time he had been in a bar and not drunk and he actually heard the bullshit Shikaku complained about. "Why didn't you just take out the garbage?"

"I already told you." He hiccupped. "I dint wanna. Don' gotta do it. Free world." He threw more money at the barkeep. "Get me some more! An' don' go tellin' me I've had too much cuz I'm already throwin' up over the hill here."

"You're an adult. Can't you at least act like one? Your farm is a mess, your son is a lump and your wife hates you. I don't see how you can brush that off without even a little bit of it bothering you." Kakashi carefully sipped his beer. He didn't want to overdo it, not after Tsunade's threat to take his teaching license away.

Shikaku's playfully nonchalant look darkened. "I don' see why I can't nomore. S'not like I could do nothin' for Chouza. I tried to help him, I sure did, an' look what a fat load a' good that did. Figure if helpin' someone jus' leads to their brain dyin' then what's wrong with letting someone else do the goddamn garbage?"

"For the last time, Chouza's brain wasn't damaged because of you," Kakashi consoled. "Stop blaming yourself."

"Oh please, you was jus' a kid when the war went on. Don' think you know nothin'." Shikaku grabbed the drink from the barkeep. "Thanks."

Kakashi leaned over to the barkeep. "Please, don't cater to him anymore. He'll die of liver cancer if he doesn't stop."

The man shrugged. "He's paying well; I don't have anything to complain about."

Kakashi's hand curled into a fist. _Greedy son of a..._

There was a crash in the deeper part of the bar followed by whooping and hollering. The keep turned toward the ruckus as people began to crowd. Shikaku drunkenly got up and teetered over, a curious Kakashi following. A ring of people had formed around a man who was being assaulted by a heavily drunken woman.

"Don't call me trash you bitch!" she screamed, throwing a chair at him.

He caught it and threw it to the ground. "Then don't try and steal my beer, you garbage! And that's exactly what you are! Go and get a job like the rest of us!"

"I don't need no fuckin' job! All you do is slave away fer hours an' get paid shit! I get all I need fer free!" she spat.

He let out a harsh laugh. "You think so, huh? Crappy as it is I at least have a roof over my head!"

"Fuck you!" she grabbed another chair.

Kakashi acted in a moment, rushing in and grabbing her arm, covered by a dirty shirt sleeve. "Stop it," he said, the only one not amused by the fight.

"Come on, she was about to throw another one!" someone in the crowd yelled, cheering.

"Let the garbage get her ass kicked!"

"Yeah!"

"It's funny!"

"Get outta there! You stupid?" Shikaku asked.

"Stay out of this!" the teacher barked. He yanked her away from the chair. "I'm getting you out of here."

She smacked him with her free hand, ensuing more cheers and whoops from the eager crowd. Her coal, bloodshot eyes shook in anger, face smeared with days, possibly weeks of dirt and a crusty residue that looked very much like dried vomit coating her chin. "You can't order me 'round, I'm older'n you!" Her teeth were a horrible shade of yellow and her breath smelled of rotten meat and alcohol

"Damnit Shizune, stop acting like you're ten!"

"That's enough!" the barkeep yelled, holding a bucket. "Move out of my way!" He pushed through the ring. He grabbed Shizune by her oily black hair and dragged her out of the bar to the sound of people's laughing and Kakashi's protests.

He threw her in the street in the broad daylight, right into a pile of melting snow. Citizens walking down the street stepped over her, whispering and casting glances at her. He threw the contents of the bucket, water, at her, soaking her and causing her ripped, putrid dress to cling to her skin.

"And don't you come in here anymore unless you have money!" he spat, walking back into his bar cursing under his breath.

People stood around her and laughed for awhile until they got bored of her and departed. Shikaku hiccupped and patted Kakashi on the shoulder.

"Well, I gotta go see if Yoshino's cooled down. I'll see ya later bud." The father walked down the street, wobbling like a broken board in the wind.

Kakashi leaned down and offered a hand to Shizune. "Come on. I'll clean you up. I got a shower and everything you need."

She moved away from him, shaking. "I d-d-don' need your help, Ka-Kakashi." She began to retch and turned away from him, throwing up in the street. People glared at her in disgust and rushed past her.

"You don't need my help?! Look at you! Goddamnit, I used to look up to you, and now you're just a useless lump of...of nothing!"

Shizune laughed. "Oh, suddenly you're willin' to help me? How about ten years ago when you used to laugh at me and throw trash in my face? 'Member that?"

That shut him up. He remember it, all right. Still, the past wasn't something to dwell on. Not anymore. He shook his head. "If you ever need help, just come to my house. You know where it is. I have a meeting to go to."

He heard her retching again, but didn't bother to turn around. _Why is everyone in my past screwed up?_

**XxXxXx**

Chouji checked his wallet before leaving his father with stale episodes about koalas from the Animal Channel and instructions on how to microwave soup cans. He had a good amount of money from collecting Chouza's latest paycheck. Unfortunately, he'd been a bit lazy this week so he hadn't made any money for himself. He decided to discipline himself by not buying his usual bag of chips from his favorite junk/grocery/furniture store, Minamo's.

He checked his grocery list and sighed seeing that Chouza sloppily wrote 'souba' on it. _Looks like no noodles tonight. I guess I can try to attempt to make ochazuke._

He stuffed it list back in his pocket and headed down the slushy roads, avoiding puddles of snow melted by the morning sun. He walked to Minamo's and cruised through the aisles for all the food on the list. He ran into Sakura Haruno in the fruit section, a bag filled with tomatoes swinging gently from her elbow.

He was pleased to see she was out of the hospital and looking well. "Sakura, good to see you out and about!"

She smiled at him. "Thanks! Believe me; I'm glad to get out of that dump. I really hope Tsunade gets it cleaned up."

"It's great that she's going to help us. It's really boosting everyone's confidence," he remarked. He ogled her bag. "That's a lot of tomatoes."

"It's for Sasuke. He loves these things."

"What, he's got you running errands for him now?" Chouji frowned.

She sighed. "I don't think you have a good impression on him, but you gotta give him a chance. Really, you don't know him well enough. He's getting a lot better lately. I think living with him will help him out of shell, really."

Well, he sure hadn't expected that answer. "You're _living _with him?!" Who'd have thought Sakura would fall for the emo boy?

"Not like that! It's...complicated. I couldn't afford my apartment, so Sasuke took me in. Okay, maybe it wasn't that complicated. Anyway, is everything going alright with your team?" she asked.

"Even you aren't immune from problems," Chouji sighed, avoiding her question. "What will your parents say?"

"I wrote them a letter telling them what happened. When they come back they can take the apartment back, but they'd better not sign me back onto the resident list. I'm sick of it. I feel much better living with Sasuke. It's less stressful. I've been able to focus on training more too. Oh! Chuunin exams meeting is today. I hope they get it done in time so they can tell us who made it in."

Chouji was grateful for her excitement, knowing that she'd completely forgotten about asking the condition of Team 10. "Well, I hope everything works out for you."

"Tell your dad I said hi," she nodded. "I'll see you later. Naruto's coming over later and Sasuke's freaking out. He's never had anyone over before."

"Good luck with that."

"Thanks!" she walked down to the vegetables section and Chouji blew through the fruit, picking up everything he needed. When he was done with the list, he went into a corner and added up what everything would cost.

_Seventy-five hundred ryo. _He had eighty hundred exactly. Shaking his head, he went back to each aisle and put something away, knowing that he had to be careful with what his father put on the list, knowing that some of it wasn't mandatory. He added again and smiled when the cost came out to be fifty-five hundred instead. Saving twenty hundred ryo may not have sounded like much but adding it to the savings jar would boost up their savings and there was nothing wrong with an extra twenty dollars.

He paid for everything and stepped back into the sunlight, shielding his face from the blinding rays, and headed home. Dropping his stuff at home, he saw six soup cans littered on the ground. Sighing, he approached his father. "Dad, you know what you do with garbage."

"Yeah," he hung his head, "but there was this really cool thing on TV! Did you know that Otogakure is the number one exporter in persimmons?"

"Oh, really? That's really cool," Chouji said in the voice of someone complimenting the scribbles of a four-year old's drawing. "Now, can you throw away the garbage and put away the groceries? I'm going out for a little while."

"You were just out," Chouza complained. "Do I _have _to?"

"Yes," he ordered. "I have to train. You want me to be a good ninja right?"

"Oh, I shouldn't keep you from that. Sure, I'll put everything away! Um...when will you be back? Cuz I think the oven's still mad at me." Chouza shuffled his feet in guilt.

"You're still scared of it? Alright, I'll be home by lunch. If I'm not, don't worry, okay?" Chouji grabbed his coat and zipped it up, leaving with a wave at his simple-minded father.

He walked down to the forests nearby, going towards his favorite training spot. It was secluded and a perfect spot to train without commotion in the surrounding area. It took a little while to get there, but he didn't mind the walk much either. He always took his time, conserving as much chakra as he could.

What Sakura had asked him before covered his mind. The truth was that there was no Team 10. He hadn't talked to Asuma once in three months and Shikamaru would never leave his house for any reason, and Chouji never liked schlepping across Konoha to see him. Ino was the only team member he saw often, dropping by her flower shop to see her pretty face.

He never saw her without makeup. She even wore certain kinds to bed he heard. What he hated the most was seeing her at night, sitting at a street corner with a large bag and the skimpiest thing that could fit a baby. Once, he saw her talking to a man and walking off with him. He nearly punched the bastard.

_Ino, why do you do this? And why can't I make you stop? _he thought sadly, not paying attention to his trek and a little girl of around seven who was tugging at his shoulder.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

He stopped and looked down at her. "Huh? Oh, yes?"

"My ball got stuck in that muddy water pit over there, and I can't swim. Those boys have been trying to get it out, but they can't." Her eyes were large and her face small, making her amazingly adorable with her little florid dress. She pointed with little hands towards a bog full of thick, muddy water where some older boys just starting their double-digits were crowded around.

Chouji smiled gently at her. "Of course. Don't worry." He followed her to the bog. The boys looked at him and exchanged glances. "It's in there?" he asked.

A boy with fiery hair nodded. "Yeah, I saw it."

Chouji took off his coat and discarded it on the ground along with his shoes. He stepped into the bog, immediately grossed out by the mud squishing under his feet and the freezing water coming up to his waist.

"Okay, where did you see it?" The large boy's skin was prickling. He had a feeling he'd have to wash up somewhere later—the bog's stench was overwhelming.

"It was deeper in," the girl said, shuffling her feet and looking at the ground.

Chouji noticed that she had the same expression as Chouza when he did something wrong. This saddened him a little, not knowing if his father would really be all right the rest of his life. He waded further into the bog, feeling underwater plants scratch against his bare legs.

_I hope I don't have to throw away a good pair of capri's for this. _He reached down into the bog, completely disgusted by the feel of who-knows-what against his arm. He couldn't feel anything that was ball-shaped.

"Over to the right a little more I think," another boy shouted.

He complied and his foot hit a rock. He gritted his teeth in pain. After searching again, he sighed. "I'm sorry, I think it's lost."

"No!" the girl sniffed and pouted. "It can't! That's my favorite ball! Can't you do a jutsu?" Her teacup-sized eyes darted to his headband.

"I don't have ball-searching jutsu," he said. Still, he started to feel guilty from the look on her face. He sighed and began to search again, grabbing at anything that he felt.

"I'm sorry, I really am. But I still haven't found it." Chouji was ready to step out and console her, when he suddenly felt a very sharp pain on his upper leg. Bursts of pain erupted all over his body and he shrieked, cursing under his breath. He grabbed the edge of the bog and began to pull himself out when a boy smirked and kicked his throat, sending him back into the bog.

"Fuck! What was that for?" He gripped his throat and landed on his rear, causing even more pain. Feeling his leg, he felt something rubbery and slimy attached to it. He stood up and lifted up his leg, and screamed.

Leeches had suctioned themselves to his legs, all the way up to his thighs. He began to thrash, trying to get them off and the boys burst into laughter watching him.

"I can't believe he fell for it!"

The girl smiled; except this time, it was a cold, cruel smile. "Yeah, he's so stupid. I've seen him go around helping people so it wasn't hard to reel him in."

"Look at him! Oh, grooooooss!" They all jeered when he took off his shirt, freeing his large belly covered in leeches.

"Keep it on; we don't to see the rest of your fat!"

"Yeah, there's already enough on your face, fatass!"

"Fatass! Fatass!" they chanted.

Chouji's eyes burned. "Why did you do this?!"

"It's funny!" The little girl kicked some mud at him.

"And you call yourself a ninja? You can't do anything! Fatass!"

He climbed back onto somewhat-dry ground and desperately tried to get the leeches off him, tugging at them and groaning in pain when they dug their teeth further into his skin. The children watched him for a little while, snickering and splashing water on him until they realized he was ignoring them and left, bored with their game.

Deciding his attempts futile, he gathered up chakra and heated his body up. The leeches dropped off him one by one and he collapsed to the ground, weakened from the cold, the bites, and using half his chakra just to get the bloody things off.

The bites hurt like hell, and he knew one place where he could get some free medicine. Grabbing his shoes and putting them on, not caring about the mud caked on his feet, struggling to get his wet shirt back on, and throwing on his coat, he trekked to the Nara ranch which was much closer to the bog than his house.

His eyes stung with bitter tears as he walked past the dead pastures where deer were sitting and watching him with large beady eyes. He felt himself getting lightheaded and began to shiver. Coming up to the door, he rapped it heavily.

He heard yelling and Yoshino opened the door, looking worn out. She looked down at him and smiled wearily. "Chouji, come in. I haven't seen you in a while."

"Thank you ma'am." He danced around lightly, trying to throw off the pain. "Is Shikamaru around?"

"Oh yes, he's in the living room watching TV. He hasn't moved all morning," she said acidly.

Chouji followed her into the living room and she left into the kitchen, where he heard Shikaku snoring.

Shikamaru was staring placidly at the television, looking hypnotized by the action episode he was watching. He looked over at the chubby teen. "Hey."

"Shikamaru, I need some of that herbal medicine you make for bites," Chouji said, flinching from a surge of pain in his stomach.

"Herbs?" He stared dumbly at him.

"Yeah!" the other boy replied hastily. "Come on, you know that stuff your dad used to sell."

"We don't have any of that," Shikamaru said. "Dad stopped making it and Mom and I don't know how."

"Are you kidding? Shit!" He swore. Feeling dizzy, he collapsed on the couch, breathing heavily. His throat began to ache.

The lazy teen stared at him. "...Is that all you wanted? I'm busy."

Chouji looked at him, noticing that Shikamaru was multiplying into two people in his eyes. He rubbed them and sat up, and told a brief summary of what happened. When he was done, Shikamaru shrugged.

"That's good for you, but I'm missing my show."

Chouji paused. "What?"

"Well, this is a good show..."

"I've been bitten by wild leeches and I think I'm getting a fever! Don't you think you could show a little more sympathy? At least tell me where the gauze is or some pills." Chouji's head was hurting and he suddenly felt very vexed by Shikamaru's carefree attitude.

"I don't remember, ask mom."

Chouji couldn't believe his friend. "God_damnit _Shikamaru! Peel your eyes away from that thing for a second! What's with you lately? All of a sudden you have no time for anybody! Fine. I guess I'll walk to Ino's. She's much more of a help than you."

This got Shikamaru's attention. He grabbed the remote and shut off the TV, standing up and turning towards Chouji angrily. "How dare you mention that bitch's name around me. You'll just abandon me for that tramp?"

"What? Abandon you? You're the one who I haven't seen in weeks just because you'd rather watch that freaking box than take five minutes to talk to a living person!" Chouji yelled. "Ino pays attention to me at least!"

Shikamaru paused, frowning. He then smirked. "Oh, I get it."

"What?" Chouji asked, annoyed.

"It's obvious, really. You've never had any luck with girls, have you? After all...look at you, it's not pretty. All of a sudden you've got a pretty little ass that comes within ten feet of you and you get all excited."

Never had Chouji heard Shikamaru be so straightforward and cruel. His insides went from aching to panging from the hurt his words caused. "Ino's sweet and she's fun to hang around."

Shikamaru let out a sarcastic laugh. "Are you kidding me? You hated her a few months ago, but once she started paying attention to you you run to her for everything."

"The only reason I hated her was because you did and I don't want to follow you anymore, I've got a brain," Chouji insisted.

"What makes her better than me? She's a filthy slut!"

"Well, she sure as hell isn't a heartless bastard like _you_!" Chouji barked. "I know you used to go out with her, and I remember when you used to be a great guy!"

"So she told you about us huh? Suddenly you're her secret-keeper." Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"Why do you hate her so much? What did she _do_?" Chouji noticed that Shikaku's snores had ceased.

A look blazoned over Shikamaru's face, something that was a cross between regret and frustration. "What she did doesn't matter. She's a dirty piece of shit, a low-class bitch."

Chouji laughed angrily. "You have no time for me or anyone, and then you slander the one person who tolerated all the shit you did. Well, do you want to know something? If she's a dirty piece of shit...she's much classier than _you._"

Shikamaru growled and punched him in the face. Chouji fell into the couch, his nose dislodging blood, which didn't help his condition. Surprised, he stared up at the trembling boy, fist curled tightly.

"How _dare _you," Shikamaru hissed. "How fucking _dare _you even _compare _me to that cunt. I'm the only goddamn person who would talk to you when we were kids. When everyone laughed because you were the last one to be picked during gym or during taijutsu training, I was the only one who acknowledged you. I freaking saved you from becoming a depressed freak and how the fuck do you repay me? You spit in my face and go running to a huge rack and a pussy. You know what? Thanks for the giant 'fuck you'. Get out."

Chouji's eyes burned again. His nose was bleeding profusely and beads of sweat began to form on his brow. The bites were beginning to enflame and his temperature could be compared to a pig being roasted over a fire. Still, he felt nothing but a pain inside, the pain of his heart crushing. He slowly came to a realization that Shikamaru was not the friend he thought he was. The caring, amusing boy that lightened up his childhood was gone, replaced by this miserable, uncaring lazy asshole. And frankly, Chouji hated it.

He slowly stood up from the couch, shaking a little. "...Alright." He didn't want to put up a fight. He'd heard enough from Shikamaru to get the impression of what he thought of the chubby boy. "Alright," he repeated, "I'm going."

He headed for the entrance to the living room, nursing his nose, and stepped into the frame. "...If you want to think of me like that, then that's fine. So, go back to watching your TV. I'm sorry I wasted your time. Next time I need to go to a friend, I'll go to Ino. Because if you think I'm the one who spit in _your _face, then you need to find a mirror and find the real bastard in your life."

Without looking at him, he left the house, not bothering to answer Yoshino's question if he was alright when she appeared in the front hall with a drowsy and hung over Shikaku who staggered into the living room where he heard the TV being turned on once more.

He walked slowly, freezing and sick, with a sore throat coming and a splitting headache from the punch. People turned and stared at him, whispering and wondering out loud if he was in a fight, and no don't go near the bad boy, oh but isn't that Chouji, Chouza's son? Oh poor dear it's no wonder he's troubled I mean look at his father, the man can't function properly. I feel so sorry for him, no don't help him, its better if we leave him alone.

Chouji could've laughed. _If you feel sorry then help me you morons. _An agonizing hour later he found himself at Ino's shop. Looking through the glass, he saw she was applying makeup.

"_**You'll just abandon me for that tramp?"**_

Ino looked up and noticed Chouji. Through the flowers, she couldn't see his blood or his paled face. She smiled and waved at him.

"_**What makes her better than me? She's a filthy slut!"**_

At least she gave up five minutes of her time to say a freaking hello to him. Chouji raised up his hand and faked a smile, before passing her shop and beginning the extra fifteen-minute walk to his house. It was way past lunchtime, that was for sure, and if he didn't get home soon Chouza would start to become antsy.

He arrived home. Chouza looked up and squealed, running over and hugging his son in a crushing embrace. "Chouji, I thought you were dead or something!"

Chouji gasped for air. "Dad, let go."

He complied and jumped around. "I was scared. What took you so long? How was training? Hey, what's wrong? You're bleeding and you look all hurt. Hey, you're really hot," he observed, feeling his arm.

"Training's a bitch," he muttered under his breath. "Look, I'm sorry but can you have soup for lunch too? I gotta take a bath."

"Aww. Well, cuz you trained so hard I won't bother you."

Chouza went to make himself some lunch and Chouji locked himself in the bathroom, filling the tub with hot water slowly and dumping as many significant ointments as possible into the tub. Undressing himself and slipping into the water, he let his head rest on the edge of the tub, the hot vapors making him even drowsier. He felt his bruise, and a tear slipped down his face as he curled up in the water, staring at his bruised reflection.

"_**Yeah, there's already enough on your face, fatass!"**_

"_**Fatass! Fatass!"**_

"**_You call yourself a ninja? Fatass!" _**

"**_It's obvious, really. You've never had any luck with girls, have you? After all...look at you, it's not pretty." _**

"_**Fatass! Fatass!"**_

"_**All of a sudden you've got a pretty little ass that comes within ten feet of you and you get all excited."**_

_**  
"Fatass! Fatass!"**_

"_**You know what? Thanks for the giant 'fuck you'. Get out."**_

_Fine, Shikamaru. I'll get out. I'll get out of your life. I'll get out of everyone's lives._

**XxXxXx**

It'd been three agonizing hours in that small, cramped room next to Sarutobi's office that was called the meeting room but was just about the size of a storage closet, and Kakashi was finding it harder to pay attention. His beer or two that morning had made him a tad lethargic, and the fact that no one was getting anywhere with decision-making wasn't helping.

"So we've ruled out Teams 1 through 6 as being unable to compete in the exams," Sarutobi reviewed, organizing the declination papers and handing them to the respective teachers to file away in their file cabinets. "Now we've still been stuck on this Team 7 issue."

"Before we go back into that," Asuma said, puffing on a cigarette which was making the whole room smell like tobacco and didn't to anything to wake up Kakashi, "I'd like say that Team 10 will not compete in the exams this year, so you can hand me my papers and let's call Team 10 over with, okay?"

"You aren't confident in their abilities?" Sarutobi questioned.

"I'll make this clear. Ino's a prostitute who spends her nights screwing around and her days in her flower shop and has no room for training and frankly she's refused my help so I don't believe she cares one way or another. Chouji's out of shape, he's got no stamina and has little talent, and Shikamaru would sell his soul if it meant he could do nothing but watch TV and have people feed him so he didn't have to get up. Shikamaru hates Ino and they could never handle teamwork or the missions being a Chuunin would offer." Asuma sucked on the cigarette like it was a delicious lollipop.

"How would you know if you haven't seen them?" Team 3 leader Matsushira wondered out loud. "Since you've been so busy with Kurenai-san, I mean."

Asuma slammed his fist on the table. "Are you saying something, Matsushira-_san_?"

"Actually," Kurenai said, thinking out loud, "he hasn't been over in a long time. It's been a while since we did anything together. I kinda miss him." She winked at Asuma from across the table.

"While we're on the subject of Kurenai-san," Sarutobi cleared his throat, handing papers to Asuma, "is Team 8 expected in the exams? They're a versatile team, molded for tracking and survival."

"Um..." Kurenai chuckled nervously and glanced at Asuma, who rolled his eyes knowing that she had no idea how they were doing. "Well, Kiba's looking strong, but the other two...Shino has a lot of problems, concerning, er...his...focus. Yes, and Hinata's just a weak little darling..." She stared at her boyfriend, crimson eyes pleading for help.

He made a quick head movement towards her team file. She opened the file and gulped when she noticed she barely filled it out. Grabbing a pen and scribbling stuff down while making it look like she was reviewing what she had written, she listed down things she observed from them when she met them. "Um, Kiba's tough but reckless, and..." she noticed his sister's name listed in the 'Related Shinobi' section. "Can I have his sister's file? She's on Team 14."

Sarutobi reached for her file and handed it to the female teacher. She nodded as thanks and opened it, noticing Asuma drag out a sigh. Looking through her file and then at Kiba's, she decided something that was a good excuse.

"He hasn't improved as much as his sister did when she was a Gennin, and I know the Inuzukas pride themselves with family ability. I don't think Tsume Inuzuka would be pleased. And Hinata, the poor dear is just too soft for combat. She should be hardened up more. Shino, he's just so...quiet. I really don't think he's trained once." Kurenai smiled. "So, could you do a little thing for me and not put them in the exams?" She shook her chest playfully, and a few teachers' eyes snapped down to her cleavage.

Asuma huffed and folded his arms. "Can we continue?"

"Team 7 is a major problem," Matsushira explained. "Naruto Uzumaki is on it. He's the kyuubi holder, and if he's thrown out into missions his seal might weaken; who knows if he's ready?"

"I can sure that the seal won't weaken; it was done by the strongest ninja I'd ever known," the old man defended.

"Still..."

"It doesn't matter if he's got a fox or a freaking cancer bomb in him," Kakashi grumbled, "he's a strong little guy and I want him in the exams."

"He's the kyuubi holder! He could release it during the exams!" Matsushira barked.

Kakashi was tired of the teacher. "He's not going to release anything! He hasn't before and he won't! The exams aren't going to make him go into a furious rage you moron! Don't you think I've had those worries too?"

"Have you done anything to train him so it _doesn't _happen?" a new voice asked. Tsunade's chair was propped on the back two legs, her feet on the desk and her fingers intertwined.

"No," Kakashi professed, "but I was with my team when we fought those bandits. Naruto did all he could to keep one ninja preoccupied so he wouldn't go after Sakura. He aimed to protect her first. He couldn't care less if he couldn't beat the ninja, what he cared about was defending his weaker teammate. The mistake of Sakura's injuries was partly my fault. I could've gotten her out of there, but I was too busy paying attention to my opponent and not to my students. You saw the end result."

"I unfortunately did," Tsunade sighed. "Well, I have no objections with Naruto going into the exams. Sasuke Uchiha's definitely ready, that's a given. After all, he was the only one you bothered with."

The silver-haired teacher wished she wouldn't poke at his mistakes every minute. Koharu Utatane, Sarutobi's former teammate and now village council elder, cupped her hands together. "What of Sakura Haruno? She was injured greatly during a mission, you claim from freezing up when the enemy attacked. We cannot have that happen during a higher-stakes mission."

"It was because she was under tutelage of Sasuke Uchiha who couldn't give her battlefield experience," Kakashi proclaimed, "and because I didn't teach her what I should have."

"She is also the first in her line of family to be a ninja," Homura Mitokado, Sarutobi's other teammate and also council elder, read in her file.

"That doesn't hinder any of her skills other than not having been exposed to ninjutsu at an early age. She actually has a gift for chakra control; complete control without any difficulty, no training required." Kakashi noticed the interested look on Tsunade's face.

"Really? That's the same gift I've got," the blond said, sounding impressed. "I never would've guessed it."

"Those three ninja have the drive and potential that we all should have. They're like, the rare case that appears in every generation. The last ones were Obito, Rin, and..." Kurenai quieted when she noticed Kakashi glare at her.

"Look what happened to them," Homura pointed out. "_All _of them."

"I knew Obito and Rin very well," Sarutobi said. "They were almost like my assistants, doing all they could to help Konoha. They were the only heroes I've met."

"Heroes?" Kakashi asked. "How could they be heroes when they failed? What they strived to do hasn't lasted. They're in the past, can we move forward here? It's been three hours."

"It's a touchy subject, isn't it Kakashi-san," the nominal lord said, "but you must stop referring to them as they. You know as well as I do that you once had the same dreams that they did. Don't disrespect their memory by cutting yourself out of it."

"Just put Sakura on the exams list too. Team 7's going to be in it," Kakashi said.

Sarutobi nodded. "I have no problems; in fact, I'd be disappointed if you kept them out of it." He handed Kakashi papers to fill out for the information lists.

Kakashi put a pencil to Sasuke's paper as they started discussing Team 11. Sighing, he began to write, glad that he was able to get through his team without too much trouble. Except, when he looked down at the three papers splayed out in front of him and at the portraits, he didn't see Sasuke, Naruto, or Sakura. He saw Obito's playful, grinning face, Rin's smirk, and his own covered face with a solemn stare.

He didn't want to think about what happened to them happening again. The past was in the past, he tried to convince himself that.

**XxXxXx**

Naruto could tell Sasuke was nervous. The air was so thick with anxiousness he could cut a solid block of it with a shuriken. He jiggled the cup of nonfat milk in his grip, Sasuke looking like he was about to die, slumped slightly in his seat and holding an ice cold glass of tomato smoothie. Sakura cleared her throat loudly.

"So, have you been keeping up with the Blue Winds lately?" she asked, thinking that a good baseball subject would carry them on for an hour at least.

Much to her dismay, her two teammates weren't normal boys. "I hate sports," Sasuke muttered.

"I hate the Blue Winds, it's all about the Twilights," Naruto piped up. "Hey, could you direct me to the bathroom?"

"Um, sure. It's through the kitchen into the back hall, third room on the left," Sakura directed.

He excused himself and put his milk down and went through the kitchen into the bathroom. Smiling to himself, he began to do his business as he looked up at the ceiling light. If there was one thing he was glad about, it was Sasuke even inviting him over. There was something about a friend asking him to come over that made him so happy. He'd never had anyone to call a friend, unless those gangbangers he used to hang out with counted. Perhaps, but they only hung out with him so they could use the kyuubi as a threat against other gangs.

He pulled up his sleeve and traced a long slash mark that had become a scar that trailed down his inner arm. It was from running from the police and catching a sharp rock on his skin.

The police. The Uchiha Police Force. Now, they were all dead.

"**_The Uchihas. They're all prissy bastards. I hate them all. They think they're too good for use, too proper to come mingle with the 'little people'," Amino hissed, long blue hair swept in front of an eye, staring at a switchblade he was flicking open and closed in his head."_**

"_**Didn't you sneak into their district once?" Kiaro inquired, sitting cross-legged on a pile of discarded wood planks.**_

_**  
"Yeah, they chased me out with some fancy jutsu. I've heard they have one hell of a rice crackers shop though," Amino replied.**_

**_Seven-year old Naruto was watching Amino and his switchblade with innocently large blue eyes. "How'dya hear that?" he asked the teenager._**

"**_The Uchiha coppers were talking about it. Bragging almost. Well, if they think it's so great I gotta get myself some crackers, after all they're practically inviting us by keeping it out-of-bounds. Naruto," he said, throwing the switchblade to him, still open._**

_**The fox boy shrieked and caught it by the handle. The blue-haired teen smirked. "Alright, he's got skills. This shouldn't be hard."**_

"**_What do you want me to do? Sneak in there and get some?" Naruto handled the blade carefully, not wanting to cut himself._**

"**_Shit yeah. I've been hungry lately. Mom left so all dad's doing is breaking shit and complaining about how I never bring food home, so at least I can get something out of the Uchihas and their prim little shops!" Amino patted Naruto on his spiky head. "You can do it. Use some of that crazy fox power of whatever shit you got in that body of yours."_**

"_**Bring some extra for me," Kiaro egged.**_

Naruto sighed and cleaned himself up and left the bathroom stall. "Yeah, thanks a lot you bastards."

"_**Get him! Thief!" an Uchiha with a sword yelled, slashing the air.**_

**_Naruto was running with a bag of crackers, sniffling and pushing through the Uchihas that were trying to corner him. Mothers were coming out of their houses and watching him, children staring curiously from behind legs. _**

'**_Please don't catch me. Amino, Kiaro you bastards you weren't at the meeting point,' he thought angrily, dodging a man and heading into an alley, using an arm to catapult himself over a chained fence, a rock jutting from the building catching and shredding his arm. He swore loudly._**

"_**It's the kyuubi boy! No wonder he's so fast," one of them said.**_

"**_Relax, I'll handle him," a younger voice said calmly._**

**_He kept on running, when a teenage boy appeared in front of him. He looked around twelve, not much younger than Naruto's two supposed friends and had two imprints under his eyes, with a bloodred gaze that made Naruto's blood turn cold._**

_**He started to shiver; afraid the scary Uchiha was going to hurt him. He held out the bag. "F-Fine, you win. Please don't arrest me, I'm just hungry..."**_

"**_...Then you picked the wrong place to rob," he replied in an ever-pleasant voice that sounded like it had never risen or faltered once in its life. "Those rice crackers are the pride and joy of my aunt and uncle's shop, and it's appreciated if you pay them for the hard work they put into making those."_**

**_Naruto gulped. He had no money. "U-Um...I-I don't have anything...but..." he untied the turquoise goggles around his head and handed them to the boy. "It's not much, but they're durable and in good shape. Good quality too, I think. If you sell it, maybe that'll pay for the crackers."_**

_**The boy took it and Naruto wasn't pleased by the look on his face. "U-Um...maybe you can wear them too! Uh...i-if you a-aren't wearing your headband that day," he noticed it around his forehead. "But...please..."**_

"_**Just get out of here."**_

_**Naruto looked up in confusion at what he had said. "Huh?"**_

"_**Leave. If you're discovered I'm not covering for you again."**_

"**_W-Why are you being so nice?" He didn't get it. Weren't Uchihas all mean?_**

_**Those crimson eyes traveled from the crackers, to his bleeding arm, to his face. "...I've got a little brother too, you know."**_

Naruto washed his hands, looking at himself in the mirror. He had grown up since then, his face had grown into his eyes and made him less innocent, and his whisker marks spread further across his face.

_The Uchihas are one big mystery._

_**Eight-year old Naruto was watching the adult ninja picking up bloody people and hauling them to the cemetery. He had grown up hating the Uchiha, because they were bad, mean people, but when he looked at it from another point of view, they were just doing their job. Policemen are supposed to catch bad people. And they thought Naruto was a bad person because he broke the rules. They didn't know he was poor.**_

_**Everyone was dead.**_

**_He even recognized some of them. Patrolling around, giving him and his friends dirty looks, constantly tailing suspicious-looking people...but now that they were dead, they seemed so helpless. Now they couldn't catch rule breakers. But...who would?_**

**_He saw a woman with canine eyes and markings on her face observing the corpse collection. Two other ninja were holding the arms of a boy his age, with large raven eyes and equally black hair. He was shaking, pale, and staring at the ground like no one was around him._**

"**_He saw the whole thing. Only one alive," one of the ninja said._**

"_**Poor thing..." the dog woman leaned down and smiled at him. "Hello, there. Could you tell me who you saw do this?"**_

"_**...He was acting strange after he came back from Otogakure," he muttered.**_

"_**Who was acting strange?" The woman asked patiently.**_

"_**...Itachi. My brother..." he sounded like he was talking to himself. "Why did you do this?"**_

**_One of the ninja, a much younger one with two diagonal scars on his face, lifted up a blanket showing a boy who had just entered his teens, with an insane smile frozen in his face and red eyes with black dots in them. Naruto recognized the face markings in an instant._**

_**A hand closed around his shoulder. Naruto looked up at an eighteen-year old Iruka, staring at the scene solemnly. "Let's go. This isn't something you should see," he said gently.**_

"**_Iruka, I know that boy. I met him."_**

"_**Sasuke Uchiha?"**_

"**_No, his brother, Itachi. He let me have rice crackers. Iruka, why did he kill everyone?" Naruto asked, tugging on his sleeve._**

"_**...Let's just get you home, okay?"**_

In the living room, Sakura was consoling a crazed Sasuke.

"He doesn't hate it; personally I think he's glad you invited him for a day of fun and friends. Besides, I cleaned the whole house for him and made all the snacks and drinks so he'd better like it," she grumbled.

"He's been in there for ten minutes!"

"Oh come on, you know Naruto's always got stomach problems." Sakura leaned back and drank some smoothie, noticing Sasuke had already gone through seven glasses. "Lords, do you eat when you're nervous?"

"I tend to gravitate towards anything involving tomatoes," he confessed.

"That can get you fat!" Sakura chastised. "I think..."

Naruto appeared in the kitchen doorframe. "You two having fun?"

"Sasuke's nervous," Sakura tattled.

He threw a pillow at her. "Thanks a lot. Next time I have issues I'll just go back to hiding in my room angsting."

"Don't do that," Naruto said. "I just got to know you. Don't turtle out on me." He smiled. "I don't hate this. In fact, this is probably the most fun I've had in years. To sit down with people I can call friends and people who don't ask me to steal shit for them is good enough for me. Plus, you have the most delicious milk."

"It's the same brand you buy," Sasuke pointed out.

"Well your fridge isn't ten years old."

The doorbell rang and Sakura launched herself up from the couch. "I'll let you guys be manly somehow, and I'll get it." She left them looking at each other awkwardly and headed for the front door, opening it.

Kakashi was standing there with a smile obviously hiding behind that mask of his. Surprised, she leaned against the door. "Kakashi-sensei?"

"Sakura, good to see you. Is Sasuke there?"

"Yes, he's with Naruto in the living room. You need something?" She was eyeing a manila folder he had tucked under his arm.

"Good, you're all here. This saves the trouble." He stepped into the house. "I need to speak to you three."

The pinkette nodded and walked into the living room, the teacher not too far behind. Sasuke and Naruto, who had been talking excitably, paused and looked at their sensei. Kakashi smiled again, and opened his mouth to tell them the good news, knowing that if there was a moment that would make them happy, this was it. And he was there to witness it...again.

"...You're going to the Chuunin exams."

**XxXxXx**

Yay, the end for now! It ended abruptly but I thought that'd be a good time to stop. By the way, I don't think I'll be putting down chapter previews down here anymore, not with my story veering off my original outline. Let's just say it'll be longer than I originally planned.

Shizune's an even bigger drunk then Shikaku and Kakashi combined, plus she's got hygiene issues. More expansion on her later, though she'll probably have her story told as a secondary character, rather than her own point of view, kind of like Shikamaru.

Doing that to Chouji was hard to write. I felt so bad for him. And what with Shikamaru being a complete ass, it's not easy on the poor boy's mind. I didn't originally intend to have Shikamaru be so mean, but I decided it'd fit well with his lazy character. Plus, you'll find out why he's such a prick later.

As for Kurenai, she probably came off as a complete moron during the meeting. I intended it that way, because she's not exactly intelligent. She's not completely stupid, but she's air headed and doesn't really make her own decisions without someone's opinion first. She runs to Asuma for all her questions; don't you think Tsunade should be looking at her credibility, not Kakashi?

I decided to add more Naruto expansion, because I've been neglecting him lately. Plus, I've got plenty of Sakura going down so I can relax on her.

Chuunin exams next! Who's excited? I sure am!


	8. Chuunin Exams

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
****Slight AU warning.  
****Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!**

Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja triggers a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?

Note: _Italicized lines _often mean thoughts of a character or in some cases dreams. **Bolded lines **often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. _**Bolded italicized lines**_often mean flashbacks.

The Author Speaks: There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information given.There will be limes/_possible _lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes.

Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except most of the characters are fifteen instead of thirteen. Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire. And yes, you guessed it! The Otokage is Orochimaru. Kakashi never lost his eye.

Definitions:  
dobe – moron, idiot (kind of like baka)  
senbon – long, thin needles used as a weapon

Songs:  
"Breathe (2 AM)" by Anna Nalick  
"Lose Yourself" by Eminem  
"Change the World" by V-6 (for Naruto)  
"Everything I'm Not" by The Veronicas  
"Friends Forever" by No Secrets

**Show Me a Hero**

_**Chapter 8 – Chuunin Exams**_

Tsunade watched the crowd stand just within the Konoha northeast gate. The gate spilled open to lush greenery that, if traveled through long enough, would lead to Otogakure where the other examinees were coming from.

The forest that stood outside the northeast gate was called the Forest of Death, owned by Oto and built like a maze, perfect for the Chuunin exams. Tsunade remembered going to every examination held in collaboration with Oto before she left, and practically memorized the routine that she was sure hadn't changed in the fifteen years she'd missed the exams.

At the end of the long, grueling meeting everyone had decided that it was only Team 7 who had the abilities necessary to participate in the Chuunin exams. It was unnerving to think that only one out of twenty-five Gennin teams were applicable, making only three students out of the seventy-five skilled enough. It was after that meeting that Tsunade knew something had to be done to get everyone going. Konoha wasn't going anywhere by relying on only three students. She had sent all teachers notices to bring their teams to the exams, hoping maybe that would bring about some form of inspiration. It didn't make her feel very confident when she found herself part of an abysmally small crowd.

Naruto was pacing around with his orange jumpsuit on, unable to think of anything other than the exams that he would be participating in come an hour. Sasuke had stopped watching him and had taken to staring at the ground going over every jutsu and battle tactic in his head while Sakura muttered field equations like they were written on the dirt in front of her.

Tsunade crossed over to them. "Hey, you guys. Ready to do your best?"

Three glares told her she shouldn't bother them. She should've known better, when she thought back to her own exam day she was just as snappy as they were.

"I think I'm going to throw up," Naruto complained.

"Oh shut up, dobe," Sasuke muttered, taking out something white from his pocket and tearing it open with his teeth, sucking on it.

"Is that a ketchup packet?" Tsunade asked. "Looks like even the great Sasuke Uchiha's nervous."

"Awww man!" Naruto whined. "If you're nervous then we're all screwed!"

"Shows how confident you are," Sakura muttered.

Tsunade had taken an interest in Sakura as of late. After reading her file, she had found some traits in the pick-haired kunoichi that mirrored the large-busted woman. She was the first shinobi in her family; she had perfect chakra control, and was also very intelligent, with the only vary in skills in the taijutsu and genjutsu level—Sakura's spiritual level was quite high, whilst Tsunade leaned more toward the physical. Still, with the lackluster performance of the hospital, she had been looking for somebody who could help her, and Sakura fitted that mold perfectly. If Sakura passed the Chuunin exams, the woman was prepared to give her an offer that she possibly couldn't refuse. "There's no harm in being nervous as long as it doesn't affect your performance. I've been through these exams, and they're not as scary as you think."

"If I do remember, Tsunade, you were screaming over every bat that took wing in that forest," an old voice cut in. Lord Sarutobi was walking towards them with a little boy, Kakashi, and a woman wearing a shirt made completely of black fishnet under a leather jacket. Naruto couldn't take his eyes off the tight-fitting jeans clinging to her legs.

Tsunade glared at her old sensei. "That's great. Boosting morale definitely isn't your strong point, old man."

"Grandpa?" the boy asked, tugging on his sleeve. He was very pale, with long brown hair tied in a ponytail and a yellow shirt hanging loosely on his skinny body. His shorts were blue and went down to his knees where a band-aid had been sloppily applied. "Can I go watch from over there with Udon and Moegi?"

"Be careful Konohamaru," Sarutobi advised. The boy nodded, running off to join two other children. As if he had never interrupted, the old man waved a hand at the woman. "Anko Mitarashi, the Konoha exam proctor."

"Hiya!" she said with a playful smirk, lavender eyes reminding Naruto of Hinata. The dark hair that wasn't captured in a bushy ponytail fell in front of her face. "Good job you guys. I'm rooting for you. Don't think I'm gonna play favorites though!"

"Are you the only Konoha proctor?" Sasuke asked.

"The only certified one. Ibiki Morino is a certified torturer...but I don't think that counts!" Anko laughed.

"Exams will start as soon as the Oto examinees and proctors arrive," Kakashi advised. "I wish you all luck...the test is not easy even at your level. Think about why I recommended you and why you were the only three chosen." He looked at them warily. Don't let _anybody _try and tell you that you're not worthy—especially the Oto ones. They'll be ruthless and I'm not going to lie—there are always bad apples in these kinds of things, and those will be the ones who'll play dirty, and I'm sure the Oto proctors will be looking the other way. Besides Anko, you've got very few on your side and you three must work together unless you want to fail, and if you succeed it'll have enormous repercussions but if you fail Konoha will weaken even more than it can afford to. No pressure though!"

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura crossed her arms. "How is that supposed to make us feel any better?" She sighed. "I swear..."

Anko smiled at Kakashi. "Oh come on, he's just trying to help you. I won't let any Oto proctors push you around. I know this forest like the back of my hand."

"You seem kind of young though..." Naruto commented.

"Oh, you're such a gentleman! But you remember a few years ago when you were...eleven? Remember that chick who beat you up when you tried to steal the markers out of the teacher's room?" She placed a hand on her hip.

"Yeah, sure do. She beat me up so bad I stopped stealing...hey, that was you!" The blond cried in sudden epiphany, Anko laughing.

Sakura's emerald orbs caught sight of her dear friend Ino and she cruised over to her, smiling. "Hey Ino! What're you doing here? I didn't expect you to come."

"I'll come and cheer my friend for anything. Shikamaru wouldn't see it if his life depended on it, and Chouji's real sick at home."

"Is he alright? I was talking to him a few days ago; he seemed fine."

"You know, I don't know what's wrong with him. His dad told me that Chouji didn't want to see anyone and that he was all 'splotchy like a tomato', whatever that means. Anyway, ready to kick some ass?" She punched Sakura playfully.

"I guess. We didn't have a lot of time to train for exams so I hope we can make it through the Forest. Hell, I hope the gates even open! When was the last time we used this thing?" The pinkette tapped the wooden doors.

"I always thought they were just for show."

Something occurred to Sakura. "Are you okay? I know your father really wanted you to be in the exams."

Ino laughed harshly. "Yeah, he was pretty pissed when Asuma-sensei came over to inform him I failed the selections. He told me that I should come and watch how real ninja work. Of course the moron hasn't lifted a shuriken ever since the war so I don't know why he's gotta crawl up my ass. I don't know how long I can keep up this façade, Sakura! It's driving me crazy."

"You'll find some way to help yourself out, eventually." Sakura heard Sarutobi calling everyone to step back from the gates and for the gatekeepers to open them. She took Ino's hand and led her away from the gates as they began to swing forward, creaking open with a dull roar as the bottoms scraped against the dirt turned hard from winter frost.

As light slowly filtered in from the opening, Sakura could make out a large group of people walking towards them, all wearing stylized shinobi clothing and headbands emblazoned with the Otogakure symbol, a music note.

Konoha denizens began to crowd around the entrance, whispering excitedly to each other and starting to point and cheer when a figure came into eyesight. It was a man clad in white robes, with a large purple hat with a veil covering the sides of his face, the hat tilted in such a way that his whole face was shadowed.

Naruto's jaw dropped.

The Otokage.

The man whom everyone admired, who all loved and who brought Otogakure to its peak, to the very model of a city that everyone dreamed to live in. The man who sent Konoha money annually to keep it from collapsing, the savior of the kyuubi war, and the most powerful man on the continent had just stepped on Konoha soil.

People began to scream and all ran at him, as if touching him would give them even a tenth of his wisdom and charisma. He tilted his hat up and smiled, showing off sharp teeth set on a pale, handsome face. His reptilian eyes took in all around him, and he gave off a warmer aura than his guards, standing behind him with stiff movements and glaring at everyone who dared to even look at the Otokage.

"Back away, stay away from him!" they barked. "The Otokage is in your presence, show some respect!"

The crowd didn't seem to hear their protests as they all squealed and fired questions at him. He continued walking past them, silent with his hands behind his back. Naruto couldn't take his eyes off him. This was his role model, so close he could touch him. The man walked straight up to Sarutobi.

"Orochimaru-sama," Sarutobi addressed, sounding like he had rehearsed just that one word.

The crowd suddenly silenced, as if those words were magical. They all stared at the two, wondering how the great Orochimaru, Otokage of Otogakure would reply.

Silently, Orochimaru kept his smile and did something that made Naruto's heart leap. He bowed to Sarutobi, keeping his head down respectfully. "Sarutobi-sensei."

The crowd began to whisper, confused. Naruto wasn't sure he'd heard the man properly, but his throat was too twisted up to make a sound.

"Don't be so formal with me. I'm nothing compared to you, Orochimaru-sama." The Lord sounded embarrassed.

Orochimaru laughed jollily. "Don't act so meek, sensei. If I cannot call you sensei then you cannot call me sama." With that, he addressed the crowds watching him. "Denizens of Konohagakure, it is a pleasure to see you all this year. I do not usually have time to watch the exams but I have found my schedule quite clear. I would appreciate your cooperation, if you please, and can you remain far from us? I have business that cannot wait."

Tsunade watched as his words, like a magic spell, took effect over everyone and they moved away. These wastrels, who spit on authority turned into lapdogs, obeying the Otokage without hesitation. He had an air around him that could pull anyone in and weave them into anything. His charisma was outstanding, though she wasn't sure if it could be called manipulation. Orochimaru was looking towards her now, and she snapped out of her thoughts.

He smiled warmly at her, looking surprised. "Tsunade, my dear old teammate, you don't look a day over thirty."

"I could say the same about you," she replied. "How's Oto treating you?"

"Grandly, and you?" The way he spun his words was so baroque that even one-word answers would send someone into a state of starry-eyed awe. His tone was gentle, formal, and feminine, as if he was the shy schoolmate in the back of the class who read often and never raised his hand even though he knew all the answers.

"Oto hasn't treated me at all," she joked, "but I've decided to stick to Konoha after fifteen years of hotel food and cheap ferry rides. Sarutobi's enlisted my help."

"Having the great healer around will surely raise the morale of the citizens, I believe. Speaking of healers, I received a complaint about my doctorate classes a little while ago. I trust that was from you." He folded his arms patiently.

"The so-called 'doctors' that nearly killed this girl here," Tsunade grabbed Sakura and pulled her into the conversation, placing her hands on the mortified girl's shoulders, "came directly from your training, and I, for one—"

"Tsunade! Bite your tongue. Cease complaining, this is not the time to talk about such important matters." Sarutobi nodded his head at Anko. "This is the Konoha exam proctor, Anko Mitarashi."

"Hiya, Otokage-sama," she said in a bored voice.

Sakura stifled a laugh from her nonchalant reply, and quieted when Orochimaru's sharp gaze went down to her. A flush crept up her cheeks. "S-Sorry, Otokage-sama."

"You must be Sakura Haruno," Orochimaru said.

"Y-Yes, Otokage-sama."

"I remember my chief assistant printing out the examinee informational booklet and I happened to see your lovely face on it. Where is that boy?" he asked, looking around. "Kabuto!"

A man appeared, holding a box under his arm. He was pale and lean, with shiny silver hair in a ponytail. His attractively young face was set behind a pair of glasses with which he used to look at Orochimaru, and then to Naruto, and finally Sakura, before replying. "I'm sorry, Orochimaru-sama. I was getting the booklets from the cart."

"Meet my assistant, Kabuto Yakushi. Kabuto, this is Lord Sarutobi of course, and this little one is Sakura Haruno." He waved a hand at the two.

Kakashi's head snapped to Kabuto, startled. "No...you're _the _Kabuto Yakushi? That's...you can't be!"

He laughed. "A lot of people are surprised by me. To be twenty-one and the head of the Department of Medical Studies and Values in the Kage Bureau is quite a feat."

Tsunade and Sakura both recognized that name. The Department of Medical Studies and Values was the sector of the Kage Bureau that regulated all drugs sold in the ninja villages and also conducted big-time medical experiments, like developing new medical jutsu or searching for the cure for cancer. Kabuto's name was on every medicine bottle in the continent and he also authored several textbooks on anatomy, medicine, and medical jutsu that were used in the top schools of the continent. Tsunade couldn't help but be impressed, knowing that he was a true intellect and her skills were nothing compared to what he could do.

"How long have you been assisting Orochimaru?" she asked, trying to make conversation.

"Many years, but this is my first appearance at the Chuunin exams. Let's not talk about me. I've heard you're a wandering healer. Have you decided for a steadier job?" It was easy to tell that Orochimaru was Kabuto's main influence, with his very dialect a crude version of the Otokage's.

"Just trying to help people in need. That's what we doctors do." Tsunade's amber eyes caught Naruto standing next to Sasuke and shaking, his face scrunched up trying to think of something to say but unable to.

Orochimaru must have noticed him too, because he turned and strode over to them, smiling at Naruto. "I can tell by your whiskers that you're Naruto Uzumaki. Why so quiet? I've heard you're quite the hyperactive boy."

Naruto's throat closed. The _Otokage _was talking to him. What could he possibly say to his idol? Whatever he said would probably sound too stupid and he'd make a fool of himself and he'd be crushed by a tolerant smile from the man. "I...I don't...wanna waste energy. I mean, not that talking makes me lose energy. I've got plenty of it! Energy, plenty of energy. I sure do." What the heck was he saying? He shut himself up before he continued on his idiot rant.

Orochimaru laughed, amused. "Naruto, you're definitely going to be a good leader someday."

A good leader. The Otokage said he'd make a good leader. What did that mean? A leader of what? Idiots? No, maybe a whole town. Maybe Konoha! Maybe Orochimaru liked him so much he'll become the next Otokage. Wouldn't that be great? But wait...a leader! "M-M-Me? Why?"

"You know how to talk. You sound nervous but you know what to say when you summon up the courage to say it. I pegged you as a talkative type. Naruto, I have all the files for every team in Konoha as a reassurance just in case dear Sarutobi-sensei loses any of it," he cast a gentle glance at the old man, "and you've been on my special list. With the kyuubi, your optimism, and your strength, you could possibly become a Kage yourself."

Leadership had been Naruto's goal in mind. He wanted to stand at the top of that old cliff and have everyone crowding around the bottom cheering for him. His heart swelled with happiness and pride from the Otokage's words. "Thank you, Otokage-sama! You know you're my idol, a-and to hear that from you is j-just...I don't know how to describe it."

Orochimaru ruffled Naruto's spiky hair. "I try to inspire whoever I can. I do what I can to help my hometown, especially the people. I do everything for the people. They're all who matter."

Sasuke finally came out of the shadows, arms folded. His glare pierced straight through Orochimaru, a deleterious air about him. "If you do everything for the people, then why'd you abandon Konoha as soon as it started getting fucked up, Otokage-_sama_?"

Sakura and Tsunade gasped, Kakashi flushed in anger and embarrassment and Naruto rounded on him. "Don't talk like that to him! How dare you?"

"Watch your mouth," Kakashi warned, growling.

Orochimaru didn't flinch from his question. He simply smiled and glanced down at Sasuke, eyes shining with interest. "Sasuke Uchiha. Yes...I can see your seals from here. You look like your brother...but your eyes, they're different. His were so much softer than yours. I'm sorry for his unfortunate breakdown. No matter the man, the mind can take unpredictable paths."

"The paths they take can be guided to by others, and I'm pretty sure who it was who sent him down that one," Sasuke glowered.

"Otokage-sama, the exams are beginning shortly," one of his bodyguards said.

Orochimaru acknowledged the interruption and gave a last look at Sasuke before turning towards Sarutobi, Tsunade, Kakashi, and Anko. "Let us get seated and relax. The journey here is tiresome."

Kabuto obediently followed Orochimaru. Anko glanced at Kakashi before smirking and taking after the medic. Kakashi gave a thumbs-up to his team before following suite. Tsunade lingered. "Good luck." _You'll need it._

Naruto beamed. "Don't need it! Let's go, Sakura, Sasuke!"

The Forest was waiting for them, beckoning the teams ominously with malformed trees brandishing sinuous, gnarly branches. Owls hooted elegies, their deep eyes piercing the blanket of black that was the inside of the dire foliage.

Alongside the forest entrance there were several seating areas erected for onlookers. A raised booth held two chairs for Sarutobi and Orochimaru, one draped with purple cloths and the other with red, respectively. They took their seats with Kakashi standing beside the Lord and not admitting his intimidation by the two beefy bodyguards that leered from behind Orochimaru's chair. Kabuto seemed out of place amongst the guardians, wearing simple purple clothing and constantly pushing up his glasses to adjust to the sunlight. His geek complex made it hardly possible to believe that he was the second strongest person in the entire vicinity.

Anko stood amid other proctors, all looking at her with ridicule glazed on their judging gazes. She crossed her arms, hating stuck-up bastards like them. She could tell just by their stares that they would do whatever possible to make Team 7 the laughingstock of the Exams. She found a sort of solace from seeing a few gentle faces and prayed that Team 7 went in their direction of the Forest. One of the gentle faces came up to her and handed her three tied scrolls. She looked down at them. They were colored green, black, and red, with B-3 written across it.

A man clad in brown lifted up his hand to the thirteen Otogakure teams and Team 7. "Examinees! Welcome to the twenty-second annual Otogakure-Konohagakure Chuunin Exams. Congratulates to all who passed the evaluation and are here now. Before the exams begin, let me take a minute to explain the rules." He waved his hand to the forest. "You will be scouring the Forest of Death, each team entering from a different entrance. In this forest are exam proctors who will be carrying scrolls. In order to complete the Chuunin Exams and go through the Death Shrine Gate which is the end point of the Exams, you must collect three different-colored scrolls and recite the jutsu incantation in order for the gate to open. The proctors will carry three scrolls of all the colors—red, black, and green—and you will most likely have to pass a test involving them in order to obtain a scroll. They will only give you one scroll, and if you take two scrolls the proctor will disqualify you. The rules are only these—do not take more than one scroll from a proctor, and do not cross the forest by treetop. We will judge you based on your skills and your completion of the exam. The exam ends tonight. Anyone who is not at the Shrine by this time will fail. Now, will all the proctors get ready? Your assigned quadrant is written on your scrolls. Disperse!"

Anko smiled at Team 7, who was getting placed at their beginning area, before taking off through the Forest towards her quadrant. _Please be careful you guys, _she thought as she situated herself.

The head examiner was alone now. With a loud, booming voice, he let out the deciding words. "Let the Chuunin Exams begin!"

**XxXxXx**

There was much cheering from the onlookers, but no one in Team 7 heard it, for once they penetrated the unseen barriers of the Forest and became one with its inky depths, all sounds outside the Forest silenced. They were overcome with the quiet hum of insects, creepy monochrome flora blooming around them.

"...Well, here we are." Sasuke sounded unenthusiastic.

Naruto was already growing drowsy from the humid weather coupled with the lullaby of birds. "...What do we do now?"

"We look for some scrolls, that's what." Sakura readied her weapons pouch and tied her headband to keep her hair out of her face. "Let's start walking. I don't know if we're in a manned quadrant but we should at least take a look around."

They started through the trees, taking note of their massive height and strength. Sakura was sure that she and her boys would be able to splay themselves out on the branches and still have plenty of room left to roll over. If she was a painter she would have enjoyed capturing the scenes on a canvas—the Forest had a beauty to it, albeit spooky. It was a winding maze, and they couldn't have been walking for less than ten minutes before they heard the rushing of a stream close by.

"I'm thirsty, let's go to the stream," Naruto complained.

"What could you possibly be thirsty from? We haven't even seen a proctor," Sasuke said.

Sakura was gazing at a tree with a strangely curled branch, like a slide. She counted the knots in the wood, amusing herself. Sasuke stared at her in amusement before clearing his throat loudly. She jumped and turned to them, chuckling. "Sorry."

"We're heading towards the stream. That's probably a quadrant border so we'll have better luck crossing it," he said. "Naru-dobe over here can't stand walking for ten minutes."

"Sounds good to me," she replied.

The kunoichi purposely strayed behind the two boys and let them talk and argue about random, foolish things that could keep them occupied for hours. A good feeling overcame her as she watched them. Sasuke's personality had really grown over the months, and Naruto had become a responsible young adult. The fires of friendship were being kindled and Sakura couldn't be happier.

The sun was high over the forest, but with the giant treetops blocking the rays from hitting the ground, it felt cold. Naruto shivered. "The stream had better be close."

"It's going to be cold," Sasuke reminded him.

Sakura examined a tree nearby. "Didn't we pass by this tree before?"

"No, we haven't gone in circles. How far away is this stream?" Sasuke grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets.

They walked through the dark for a few more minutes with no stream in sight before Sakura finally stopped walking.

"Are you tired too?" The Uchiha asked.

Sakura pointed out a tree with a curved branch. "We've passed this tree before. I know we have, I'm having déjà vu. Are you sure we aren't going in circles? I feel like the stream's real close but the distance hasn't...decreased. The stream still feels like it's the same distance away as it had been five minutes ago."

"We're bound to run into similar trees here and there," Sasuke argued. "We aren't going in circles because we've stayed in the same direction this whole time. You're paranoid." He took out a kunai and slashed a mark into the tree. "There, a landmark. If you're right, then the next time we seemingly pass this tree this mark should be here."

Sakura sighed. _But, I still feel like something's up..._

They continued walking. "It's really cold," Naruto expressed. "I'm freezing!"

The kunoichi found that strange. It was a nice winter day but it was hardly cold. The weather had taken a turn towards the warmer side. She looked down at her arm, exposed by her tank top. "It is cold...but why..." she didn't understand. Looking at the tree ahead, she saw the exact curled branch from before. The absence of a slash mark just made Sasuke grin triumphantly and Sakura more confused. "Stop for a second," she said, walking towards the tree and feeling the untouched bark.

"I told you we weren't going in circles," Sasuke affirmed. "Though we still aren't any closer to that damn stream..."

Sakura wasn't paying attention to him. She walked over to Naruto and pulled up the sleeve of his jacket, feeling his arm and examining it closely. A look of realization lit up her eyes. "I knew it!"

"Knew what?" the blond asked.

"You have to stop thinking so logically for a second and really take a good look around you. The reason we passed by this tree all the time wasn't coincidental—this _is _the same tree, but you're putting way too much faith in your surroundings to see it." She put her hands together. "Doesn't it seem strange that we haven't gotten any closer to the stream even though we've been walking towards it? And another thing, it's really cold but we don't have any goose bumps. That's physically impossible."

Sasuke was impressed by her observational skills and cursed himself for not paying attention. "What's it all mean?"

"Release!" Sakura shouted, focusing all her energy into knowing that she was on the right path and that the genjutsu had caused them to walk in circles thinking they were going a straight path. The surroundings broke and fell, disappearing to nothingness. They were standing next to the marked tree as if they hadn't moved at all.

Sasuke groaned when he saw the mark. "Genjutsu."

"Told you so," she sung, giggling and dashing towards the stream ahead with Sasuke hot on her heels, shouting about insolence.

Naruto followed meekly, the wind rustling the trees above. Hearing the constant tinkering of the stream stirred up his bladder and he wasn't exactly a pro at holding whatever built up inside of him in. He grew antsy, deciding to pull over and take a quick whiz before joining his teammates.

There was a heavily wooded area to the right and he moved towards it, the lush green beckoning him. He had just unzipped his jeans and inserted a hand to retrieve his seven inches when he felt a hand grip his shoulder.

The bewildered teen was thrown back onto the trail, hitting the ground awkwardly, his hand gripping his length against the soft folds of boxers. He stared at Sakura who had been the one who seized him. Silently, he withdrew his hand from his pants and zipped them. "What was that for?" he asked slowly, registering the entire situation as inopportune.

She put her hands together again and closed her eyes. "Release!" she shouted for the second time that day.

Once again, it was as if a painter had replaced the canvas he was working on. The scene changed from a dark, fortified part of the woods to a gaping canyon that was perpendicular to a placid river that sounded a hell of a lot like the stream they had been pursuing. Sakura stood on the edge, staring down at it, the wind blowing her hair in front of her face.

"I forgot about the wind. There's no way such strong winds could blow through a heavily wooded area like this unless there was an opening. I figured we weren't out of the clear," she spoke.

Naruto sat up, awed by her intelligence. The first thought that came to mind when seeing Sakura was that of a negative quality—she, after all, was fussy about her hair and clothes, and was best friends with Ino. Once you broke through the stereotypical exterior she possessed a brittle but strong will, was a patient listener, and was very skillful. The look on her face at the moment mirrored that of a warrior, someone who wouldn't be fooled by mediocre attempts at sabotage, someone who was stubborn until the end.

"That must be a new quadrant then," Sasuke observed, looking beyond the canyon.

"That is correct." A new voice rung out over the beating winds, and a woman with curly brown hair made herself noticeable, sitting on a tree near the chasm. She wore an Otogakure headband and was holding a clipboard, along with three scrolls.

"You're the proctor for this quadrant," the Uchiha said.

She affirmed with a nod of the head. "I set up the genjutsu traps to see how you'd react, and it seems like you have no troubles in that area. I've written down many things on you. Team 7, the lone Konohagakure team." She smiled. "I knew there was a reason you were picked to participate in these Chuunin exams." Unclipping a green scroll from her pocket, she threw it to Sasuke.

"We don't have to fight you or anything?" Naruto asked.

"Hey, you passed _my _test." She winked. "Now I have to go to another quadrant. If you want to go across the canyon, take the rope bridge a mile south." She disappeared.

"...Looks like these exams are going to get interesting."

**XxXxXx**

The day was growing longer. Naruto had no idea what quadrant they were in nor did he know where the shrine could be. They had crossed over the bridge while back, the rickety technology giving them a fright from the uncontrollable shaking and moaning of the old wood under their feet.

"I feel nervous," the blond stated. "I feel like we missed a time limit. Are you sure we have as much time as we need?"

"They aren't catering to us specially." Sasuke checked the faint wind with a wet finger. "I think it's until we get to the shrine. If we take too long they'll probably look for us and we'll be disqualified. Real missions have time limits; why shouldn't this?"

Their female member held up the green scroll happily, reading the kanji eloquently scribed on the parchment. "This is exhilarating. I feel unstoppable. It that weird, for one scroll to make me feel invincible?"

"Don't let it get to your head," Sasuke warned. "You'll be bleeding on the ground if you keep that notion for too long."

"I know." Sakura looked behind her at a spring, a small pool of water with white granite rocks dotting the edges where healthy green grass sprung up around wildflowers. Little rainbows shot out of the pool and a koi jumped out of it gaily. It didn't fit with the rest of the dull forest. "This spring is out-of-place."

"I don't think so," Sasuke said. "This place is the home to many creatures that need water and food just like all of us. There's always a place like this somewhere, no matter how ugly the place."

"Like Konoha," Naruto compared.

"I've yet to find a beautiful place in Konoha."

"That's because nothing's beautiful in that dump." The remark hadn't come from the dark-haired boy; instead a trio of examinees was standing by a thick tree, watching them with sneers.

"Don't be so rude, Zaku. These three are from that hellhole—oh, excuse me." The female of the group, a short girl with dull brown hair, radiated a boyish energy that placed her well amongst her friends, the one who had spoken also with brown hair, spiked, with metal armguards and the other boy with a bandaged face and a deep voice.

Sakura's hand curled in anger. "No one asked your opinion," she said angrily.

"Touchy, aren't we?" Two scrolls hung from the girl's pants loop, one red and one black. Sasuke eyed them. She noticed, her dark eyes meeting his. "You want them? Too bad, we're the ones who'll be taking that one of yours."

"What makes you say that?" Sasuke asked.

"Because we're gonna wipe the floor with you. We're the top Gennin in our class, and you're just three wipeouts from Kono-crap. Dosu, Zaku." She nodded at them.

"Kin, you must understand that they are the three only ones from Konoha. There must be a reason why they're here." Dosu seemed to be the only understanding one in the group, but that didn't keep him from stopping his friends.

Naruto could feel there was going to be a fight soon. It was spelled in the thick tension surrounding them. "We don't want to trouble you or nothing, but could you leave us alone? We don't wanna be robbed."

"Anything goes in these exams," Zaku said. "Besides, you're probably used to it."

"Being robbed? Maybe by pretentious assholes like you." Sasuke crossed his arms and smirked from Zaku's angry response.

"We aint robbing you! The Otokage's giving you everything, and you still complain. If it weren't for us you guys would all be six feet under! Idiots take everything for granted." Zaku grumbled, crossing his arms.

"We take what we get. We get just about enough to survive and nothing extra. Problem is, if you've got the exact amount of wood to build a shed how are you going to build the house?" It was a challenging question, a battle of wits that Sasuke knew Zaku couldn't win. Dosu substituted in for him, not wanting his friend to be outsmarted.

"You find more trees," the strange, bandaged boy answered simply. "Team 7, stop and smell the roses for a minute. Awaken to the fact that in your current condition, Konoha will never rise to be anything of use, even if you do conquer these Chuunin exams."

A heavy silence hung in the air, Sasuke not knowing how to reply. Sakura wasn't one for arguments of wit or wisdom, and she stood silently, her emerald orbs averting the gazes of those opposite her.

However Naruto, his spirit filled with fire and determination, stepped forward, teeth bared in a smirk. Konoha had every right to be slandered—that didn't mean he would stand for it. Changes will come in time, he knew that. The winds of change were at work, and they would blow away the dust covering the city and renew everything that was ever splendid about it.

"We've got plenty of trees around to cut, but too many people to cut down trees for. If we level the forests, we may have shelter but we'll be naked, shown off to the world our vulnerable position. Soon, every village alive will be running to take over those barren fields that were once forests and we'd be surrounded by the enemy. We'll die."

The blond stood close to Dosu, their faces almost touching. There was an animalistic gleam in his eye, a need to survive. A need to prove his place in the world. "I can't stop and smell the roses, and I won't let you push me into the roses. I'll stand up and fucking _glide _over those roses and punch you in the face."

"Oh," Dosu said in a perceiving voice. He made some sort of facial expression that couldn't be seen due to the bandages covering most of his face. "Is that a challenge?"

"I dunno," Naruto said with an entrapping smirk.

Kin rushed forward, throwing several senbon at Naruto. More than prepared, he karate chopped the air and the needles flew into a tree, producing a high-pitched ringing sound. Sakura, who had been standing by the tree, noticed tiny bells attached to the needles. Confused, she stared at them for a long time until Sasuke pulled her out of her thoughts with a yell.

Turning, she saw Zaku nearly on her. With a cry of surprise she put her hands in a defensive position and he tackled her, tumbling on the ground. The scroll clung onto her pouch for dear life while he held down her wrists, smirking perversely, his eyes wandering down to her open shirt. "What's with the display, sweetie? It's not like you've got much."

"Shut up!" she bellowed angrily, throwing him off. She punched him with force but he blocked with his armguards. Up close she saw they had little holes in them, and on his palms were two mechanical openings.

Smirking, he held his palm up in front of her face and performed hand signals, the air around them collecting into the holes in his guards. "Decapitating Air Wave!" he cried, two powerful jets of air shooting from the openings and hitting Sakura square in the face. The extreme pressure of the air cut her skin and she was flattened against the ground, eventually being propelled by gravity and flying up into the air only to hit the hard dirt again. Tasting blood, she whimpered and tried to stand up, dizzy from the blow.

Sasuke jumped to avoid Dosu's powerful fists, forming the necessary signals for a counter jutsu. "Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" he cried, a constant stream of fire heading for Dosu. He pulled out two shuriken with his free hand and threw it within the fire, spinning out as little flaming weapons. Dosu, who had been concentrating on his implanted metal speaker on his wrist, was forced to jump out of the way, the air collecting in his speakers starting to produce a heavy, piercing sound.

The Uchiha rushed the unbalanced teen. "Leaf Rising Wind!" With an upwards kick into Dosu's chin, Dosu became unfocused and flew up into the air. Still, the sound grew heavier and he began to fall, hitting the ground with buckled knees. Sasuke heard something crack, but Dosu kept coming and threw his fist at him. Sasuke did his best to avoid, weaving from side to side and catapulting himself into the air. Zaku, who had been fighting Sakura, temporarily abandoned the injured girl and tackled Sasuke from behind, restraining him. Dosu punched Sasuke in the stomach, where he released all his sound through the boy's body through his ears.

Zaku let Sasuke go and he fell, deaf to Sakura's shrieking. The world grew slower around him and he felt blood trickling from his ears. He couldn't figure out how to stand up. His stomach began to churn and he felt nauseous. The grassy earth spun underneath him and when he pushed himself upward with the help of his arms he began to shake uncontrollably, retching. The sound beat in his ears. He didn't know how to remedy it.

Naruto blocked Kin's attack and ran to Sasuke, throwing Dosu out of his way. The dark-haired boy's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he keeled over onto his side, moaning in pain. Sakura fell onto her knees and shook him, speaking comforting words. Naruto heaved his upper body up into his arms and looked at him. "Do you have anything to heal him with?"

She nodded. Naruto rose, turning to look at the three Oto Gennin. "Get him fixed up."

He flew at the trio, taking kunai in each hand in a tight grip and flipping over them, showering them with the deadly knives. Zaku blew them away with a weak sound wave and Kin threw more of her irksome senbon, the bells chiming in the unsettled air. Dosu collected sound into his speakers, biding his time. Naruto grabbed one of Kin's bells and it rung in his ear. It was an annoying pitch. He crushed the bell in his hand and threw back the senbon two-fold, turning to kick Zaku in the gut. His hands shot up and grabbed Dosu by the fist and threw him into Kin. By then, Zaku was up again, his powerful sound blasts hitting Naruto in the stomach.

Sakura worked as quickly as possible, opening her pouch with all her medicine and shaking out a few crushed mint leaves into her open palm. She opened a small capsule filled with a black substance and poured the crystals into the leaves. Bottling the capsule, she mixed the substances in her hand. Her palm was now covered in a jelly-like black mixture which she smeared on Sasuke's ears. The method was simple enough—it was a remedy for a headache that she thought would be good to carry around. After reading a few basic books on medical herbs, she decided carrying a few ingredients around wouldn't be a bad idea.

Sasuke's spasms suddenly ceased. He relaxed, his eyes coming back into focus. The ringing had left his ears. Sitting up silently, he looked at Sakura who was scraping the jelly off her hand into an empty capsule. "What did you do?"

"I healed you, silly. It's pretty generic stuff, but..." she looked at Naruto's position. He was being beaten down by Zaku, attempting to avoid Kin's needles and Dosu's fist.

"He's fighting by himself?" Sasuke sounded angry. He stood up.

"Don't you want to take it easy for a second?"

"I don't have time to take it easy!" He ran towards Dosu.

Sakura watched him enter the battle, a grateful look coming over Naruto's face. She sighed and smiled, putting her medicine away. Taking out a shuriken, she began to perform hand signals.

Sasuke smashed his foot into Dosu's face. "That's what you get, prick!" He spun in a circle and dove under Naruto's opened legs, grabbing hold of Zaku's leg and yanking him down onto the ground.

Naruto closed his hand. "Crescent Moon Fist!" He shot downward, arching his fist up and colliding with Zaku's chin. He jumped up to meet the flying boy and bashed their skulls together.

Screaming in pain, Zaku fell. Naruto landed just as Kin was ready to shoot another round of senbon, her needles decorating the trees. A shower of cherry blossoms came out of nowhere, floating down harmlessly onto the persons of everyone present. Shielding his eyes, he saw Sakura.

Sasuke picked a petal off his shirt. It disintegrated in his hands and left behind a white, grainy powder. Staring at it, a strange smell entered his nostrils. With a sudden epiphany, he glanced at Sakura in disbelief. _How did she pull this off? _"Naruto, get out of the way," he said. In response to the quizzical look his friend gave him, Sasuke made a quick hand motion. "Just move!"

Naruto backed away from Kin and took off into a run, the petals falling from his coat and falling to the ground, breaking apart and decorating the forest floor with powder.

"What is this stuff?" Zaku demanded, trying to wipe it off.

Sasuke breathed in. He hadn't cancelled out his chakra distribution for his last jutsu. He could repeat it without having to specifically name it so his mouth motions would begin the chakra molding. The heat rushed to his mouth. Dosu's stricken face came a little too late and he blew out, fire hurtling towards them at high speeds.

An explosion ripped through the quadrant, the fire making contact with the explosive powder disguised as cherry blossoms and setting of a chain reaction that caught all three Sound Gennin in its destructive core.

Naruto had fallen to the ground in complete unprepared surprise. Wide-eyed, he stared at the thick black smoke that filled the battle scene. Sakura stood at his side, a look of goofy triumph on her face. She wasn't to be messed with on the field. Whoever tried would get hurt.

Sasuke clung to a trunk with chakra, drinking in the scene with a wandering gaze. He smiled. Sakura had really thought cleverly to pull off such a high-ranked jutsu effectively. He could tell it took a toll on her chakra. She was panting lightly.

The smoke thinned and Zaku stumbled out, moaning in pain, his armguards' holes melted into themselves. He tried to punch Naruto to little effect, falling and remaining still. Dosu's speakers were severely damaged—they had caved in, the metal still burning.

_Where's Kin? _

As soon as the thought entered his mind, his shoulder exploded in pain. Jumping off the tree and landing shakily, he clutched his shoulder. A senbon was sticking out of it. Quivering, he pulled it out carefully. Each centimeter it came out of his skin was another burst of pain.

Kin stood behind him, unscathed. There was no trace of powder on her.

"Shit," he cursed. Naruto and Sakura were staring in doubt at the girl. Another Kin came into view, behind the two. Sasuke blinked and looked at the Kin who had stabbed him. "Naruto! Sakura! Behind you!"

Naruto couldn't have been any more confused. Kins were approaching from every angle, closing in on them. Sakura screamed when she felt one of the Kins grab her and throw her into the center of the circle that was forming.

"You fell for it," all Kins said, their voices radiating throughout the quadrant.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sakura spat.

"The bells. You guys didn't seriously think I was using those for decoration?" they teased evilly. "The sound the bells make distorts your vision and makes you see a lot more of me than you need to. If they keep on ringing, you'll end up paralyzed." They all held up kunai and pointed the blades at Sakura.

"No!" Naruto yelled, moving forward. He burst into full speed, his fist ready to punch its way towards his kunoichi friend, but one of the Kin that had stabbed Sasuke turned around and kicked him straight in the stomach, her long leg easily reaching up to the correct height. All breath was knocked out of him and he crumbled on the spot, his muscles releasing all strength.

"You fucked up my friends, bitch." They smiled cruelly at her. "Now I'll fuck _you _up."

"Crescent Moon Fist!" Sasuke punched through the Kins, but a force pushed him away as the Kins reappeared. He fell on his back and saw a barrier had been erected around the clutter. _SHIT! SAKURA!_

Sakura was alone now. No one could help her. Her friends were trapped away from her. Fear overtook her and she began to shake. It was just like last time. Her mind couldn't think straight, she couldn't decide what to do. She was scared. She wanted Sasuke and Naruto and Kakashi. Maybe a proctor would help her.

She was rudely broken off from her thoughts from the Kin that had stabbed Sasuke. She stepped forward and grabbed Sakura by her hair, pulling her up into a kneeling position and forcing her to stare up at the shielded skies.

"You think you're so great, bitch?" Kin inquired. "Hmph. Look at this hair. It's so beautiful. Long, silky, shining with health. Pink too, very exotic. I bet you spent a lot of time on this hair. Let's take a guess...two hours every day? Two hours to make girls envy your hair. I'd kill for hair like this. Thing is, I find training to be more important than my hair. You waste two hours with your hair instead of training and making yourself better. And you freaks wonder why Konoha's so shitty. It's because you have no priorities."

Sakura whimpered at the harsh truth. She _did _spend two hours on her hair every morning. She had always prided herself on her hair. She felt like having an unnatural gave her an obligation to make it presentable and outstanding in the crowd. Now, however, she suddenly thought of how trivial it was. Two hours of training could be so productive. She had been wasting her time for the past five years or so.

"You trying to look sexy?" Kin noticed her clothes. A revealing black top and tight khakis. The pinkette didn't have much of a figure. She had the generic curves; they didn't define her hips or her rear. Her legs were skinny, and her chest was small. "Trying to make yourself presentable? Wanna get your teammates to fuck you?"

That struck a nerve. Sakura's fear was now mixed with anger. "S-Shut up."

"Konoha." The older Gennin said the word like it was a nasty swear, "All it cares about is keeping itself from collapsing. If you dumbasses would stop reproducing maybe you wouldn't have such a shitty economy that's gotta cater to every kid you guys pump out. Ninja aren't meant to be sex icons. People like you slander our good name."

"Leave me alone!" Why was Kin attacking her like this? It wasn't even physical but it hurt a hell of a lot more than any kunai knife could.

"You act so timid but you're really trying to get some attention. Well, what now bitch? I'm giving you plenty of attention. Regretting it now, huh bitch?"

**You're the bitch. **Inner Sakura steamed.

"You're the bitch."

**Did you just repeat what I said?**

Sakura surprised herself. Never before had she ever said out loud what she felt inside. She wanted to be agreeable and everything she thought usually wouldn't go smoothly if said out loud.

"What'd you say?" Kin was bewildered. She wasn't supposed to fight back. She was just supposed to roll over and let her take the scroll.

**What, can't hear me properly? Your own voice making your eardrums want to kill themselves?**

"What, can't hear me properly? Your own voice making your eardrums want to kill themselves?"

**Well someone's starting to shape up!**

A wave of bravery had overtaken the pinkette. She wasn't afraid of Kin anymore. No one insulted her like that. "Let go of my hair," she said.

Doing a three-sixty, she punched Kin right in her smug face. The Kin fell backward and hit another Kin. All the Kins disappeared and the barrier shattered. The real Kin fell to the ground, her nose bleeding profusely.

Sasuke could breathe regularly now from seeing Sakura stand up, unhurt. Naruto jumped up in joy. He watched Sakura walk over to the girl. She leaned down.

"Who's the bitch now?" she asked in a mocking tone, grabbing her red scroll and pulling it from her pants loop.

Kin growled angrily. The trees above rustled, and Anko appeared from them, her clipboard completely filled with observation notes. _Team 7's performance was amazing, _she thought in awe as she went to inform the Otokage of the exam standings.

"We'll be taking this," Sakura said as Sasuke and Naruto joined her.

"Why not take the black one too? You'll get through the exam quicker," Kin said in an acid tone.

"You guys still have a chance of completing the exam. We're not here to kick anyone out, just to make sure we pass." Naruto smirked. "You should go see if your friends are alright."

They turned away from Kin and did not look back. She could have attacked them again, striking unfairly from behind. Instead, she went to the two boys and leaned over them, female instincts taking over. They were severely injured. It was impossible for them to continue the exam.

Kin could've cried. She smiled sadly and called for a proctor.

**XxXxXx**

The skies were turning pink from the descending sun. It cast an ethereal peachy gleam over the treetops, like the forest was made out of cotton candy. Kakashi worried; he had not heard a word about his team's progress from all the proctors that had been keeping the Otokage updated.

He sat close to Kakashi, though it was not by choice. The teacher was surprised he was allowed to sit in such a close proximity to the greatest man on the continent. His guards looked ready to kill at the drop of a marble.

"The day is growing longer," a Sound guest spoke to his friend. They sat near Kakashi, though acted like he was a piece of garbage left over from a week ago. They leaned away from him as they spoke.

"It is. I'm confident in Team Ogashi's abilities, but I worry about the condition of Akuya. When Samara was hurt during that mission, Yugata and Osaru had a tough time coping. Perhaps her replacement is faring well." The other man spoke in a severely bombastic manner. It was blatant that they were attempting to sound intellectual, and failing miserably.

The first man turned a page in the team handbook. He wrinkled his nose. "Team 7, from Konoha. Look at these stats; they cannot possibly compare to any team of ours. What a waste of ink."

Kakashi growled inwardly. _Dickheads. Can't they see I'm right here? And for your information, it's 'the day is growing long', not longer. Dumbass._

"Do not pay any mind to them," Orochimaru's voice drawled over the annoying tones of the two men. "Your team will always find prejudice, no matter what they do. Don't let it get to you."

Kakashi could hardly believe the Otokage was consoling him. "I won't, don't worry Otokage-sama."

Anko was pushing through the crowd of people, holding her clipboard and searching for Orochimaru. After locating the man, who stuck out in he crowd with his elegant robes and the mass of guards surrounding him, she presented her report, noticing Kakashi was close by.

"Otokage-sama," she said as professionally as possible. She wasn't much for big talk, but she didn't want to make Team 7 look bad. "I have an update on the current status of the exams."

"Let me hear them, then," Orochimaru said cheerfully. "I hope I won't be disappointed."

"Four teams have been disqualified for rule-breaking and three have dropped out. Five teams have completed the exams and are at the checkpoint, and six teams are still in the Forest." She was aching to tell him about her observations with Team 7. _Please ask about them..._

"And Team 7?" he asked with interest. This was the team he really wanted to know about. Kakashi paid close attention.

"Team 7 is still in the Forest," she said proudly. "I was watching them during an encounter with Team Kinuta. They displayed a huge amount of prowess." She handed him the clipboard. "See for yourself. Kakashi, you can look too."

Kakashi didn't know what to do. Orochimaru was holding the clipboard and reading it with his bodyguards all around him and Kabuto at his side. What was he supposed to do, read it over his shoulder? Yes, that definitely wasn't disrespectful and awkward at all.

"I say," the older man said, impressed. "It seems the handbooks are severely misinforming."

"Otokage sir?" Kakashi was eager to read the notes.

He smiled at the teacher. "They've found two scrolls. You stated that you wanted to see their strength firsthand? I believe it's the time to do it."

Anko handed Kakashi a scroll. "They're in quadrant C-1. They'll hit the Shrine soon."

"Thank you," he said. "Otokage...thank you for doing this for me."

"Anything you need done, I'll be happy to cater to. This is something that's important to you." Orochimaru waved his hand. "If anyone questions you, refer their name to me and I will discuss it with them later."

Kakashi turned toward the Forest and took off running into its dark sanctuary.

**XxXxXx**

"Where are we?" Sakura wondered, unable to tell what color the skies were through the thick branches of the trees.

Sasuke climbed up a tree and peered through the leaves. "It's sunset. We have to get to the Shrine before evening. I'm guessing we're somewhere towards the center of the Forest."

"This is so stupid! Why couldn't they give us a map?" Naruto stamped his foot on the ground.

"Shut up, dobe." Sasuke put his hands together. "I think this will work. Spirits Calling Jutsu!"

A thin white wispy smoke rose up in the air and snaked around Sasuke's head in a circle. It then began to drift through the air, uncurling, towards a certain direction where it disappeared shortly after straightening out.

"It's this way." He pointed to the direction the wisp went. "The jutsu reads the spiritual influence in the air, so it'll tell us where the Shrine is," he explained.

"That's...handy. Why didn't you use this before?" Sakura asked.

"We were too far from the Shrine. The wisps wouldn't have known where to go."

They continued. It was evident they had gotten into a fight. Sakura's nose was reddened under the nostrils from continuous bleeding and she had grass and dirt stains all over. Sasuke's ears still had crusted blood on the insides and the sleeve covering his shoulder stained a deep red from his stab wound. Naruto had severe bruising on his stomach and he was limping.

"I hope to god we don't have to get into another big fight," Sakura said with worry. "Naruto, you're not in any condition to battle." She rummaged through her pouch. "Maybe I have something to remedy the pain."

"Aw, don't sweat it Sakura-chan!" Naruto piped up. "It doesn't hurt!"

_Hah, you're such a liar,_ he thought. Just walking took a lot out of him. _But I can't make Sakura worry. We gotta focus on the exams._

The trees were quivering with the winds of twilight. The shadows of the Forest were tinted a pink color and the monochrome plants were cast over with shades of orange and red, like fire. Sakura wished she had a camera to take a picture of the pretty site. It was strange; the Forest grew more beautiful the darker the day became.

"Sasuke, aren't the flowers lovely?" she commented.

No reply. Perhaps he was too busy arguing with Naruto.

Actually, she didn't hear anything at all.

Turning around, she noticed Naruto and Sasuke had disappeared. Everything was deathly quiet minus the soft gales.

"Where is everyone? Naruto, Sasuke?" she asked loudly.

"They abandoned you."

Someone appeared from behind a tree, his hands in the pockets of his dark coat. He wore a hat that obscured his face, along with a fishnet shirt coupled with a leather belt and tight pants.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked. She didn't remember anyone like him at the beginning of the exams.

"They abandoned you," he reiterated. "They didn't need a whiny girl pulling them down."

The nerve of that guy. Her hands curled up into fists. "Shut up! What the hell do you come off saying that?"

"You're too annoying. You're busy staring at all the pretty things and disregarding what's most important. A typical girl who cares about looks more than anything else." He shrugged. "I'd abandon you too."

"I don't need any more personal attacks," she spat. "I've had enough today. Did you see where they went? Or did you do something to them?"

"Did you ever grow up? Have you learned to get a spine, or do you still cower behind the big strong boys and let them get their hands dirty while you paint your nails and comb your pretty hair?"

Sakura subconsciously looked at her nails. They were painted a nice green color. Flushing in anger, she glared at him. "Does it freaking _look _like I hid behind them?" She was referring to all the stains all over her clothes and her skin. Her hair blew in front of her face. She pulled it back with her hand. "My hair's been getting a lot of criticism today. I'm getting sick of it! I'm not that kind of girl anymore! I'm not weak anymore; I'm not a damsel in distress. I don't faint at the sight of blood nor do I scream when I break a nail. Everyone thinks that because I'm Ino's friend that makes me like her. They can't see how much I've grown in these three months. Sasuke and Naruto, even Kakashi-sensei can though. They've acknowledged all I've done to stop being the ninja daughter of a non-shinobi family and instead be Sakura Haruno, the kunoichi of Team 7, the promising ninja team of Konohagakure."

She gripped a kunai blade in her hand, her thumb pressed against the side of the blade. She gathered her hair together and brought the kunai up to her head. "And if everyone's gonna doubt me because of my hair, then it's too much of a hassle to keep."

With a swift cut, the kunai cleanly sliced through her pink locks. She let go and her detached hair blew in the wind, flying past her vision in light blurs. Sakura stood amongst the flurry of hair, unsmiling.

"Nobody's going to call me a whiny girl again." She pointed the kunai at him. "And you aren't real."

He wasn't leaving a shadow. Throwing the kunai, the world disappeared and she woke with a start. Standing up with hair all around her and a kunai in her hand, she saw Naruto and Sasuke in a similar state of subconscious dreaming. Sasuke was twitching wildly, shaking.

"Sasuke! Wake up!" It wasn't the kind of thing she could use genjutsu release on. She'd have to try and wake him up physically.

**XxXxXx**

Sasuke was wary. Everything was too quiet; the wind has ceased to blow. It was still, like a freeze frame. Sakura and Naruto had disappeared. A tree branch cracked. His hand drifted down to his weapons pouch. "Who's there?"

"Does it matter to you who's here?" A voice rang out through the frozen trees. "Will you strike me down?"

"If you hurt my friends, then I'll kill you," Sasuke replied simply, eyes darting from tree to tree.

"You will? Really?" There was a rustling and Sasuke threw a shuriken at that tree, jumping back defensively.

"You missed."

"Show yourself!" he demanded.

"If I _had _hurt your friends, per say...what would you do about it? Would you really kill me? Because you're actually weaker than you think. You're overrated." A figure sat in a tree, watching him. His black coat billowed out behind him despite the absence of wind.

The Uchiha stopped. "...Overrated?"

"Everyone thinks you're so powerful. Everyone expects so much out of you because you're the last Uchiha. But do they know _why _you're the only Uchiha? Do they know what you did?"

Sasuke threw another shuriken at him. He disappeared. "What did I do? I have no clue what you're talking about!"

The man was now leaning against the tree. "You did nothing, that's the point. When everyone was being slaughtered in front of your very eyes you ran away and hid like a sissy."

The words struck him by surprise. He froze. "Y-You...h-how...how dare you..."

"It's true, isn't it? Instead of trying to help your friends and family you just ran screaming from your brother, afraid to die. I guess you got your wish; now you can't even be identified as an Uchiha. It's a good thing; your great-grandfather couldn't have wanted you do drag the great name through the mud with the way you acted that day." He smirked, his teeth the only part of his face visible.

"S-Shut...SHUT THE HELL UP!" Sasuke screamed. "I-I-I..."

"You what? You _didn't _run away? You valiantly fought to protect your clan? Please, don't act like the hero."

Sasuke sunk to his knees, holding his head. "Stop it...you're making me r-remember...damnit...you s-s-son of a bitch..." A tear escaped down his cheek. He closed his eyes. "I don't want to remember!"

"You're crying now? Isn't it against Uchiha policy to cry?" He laughed cruelly.

"Stupid...bastard..." Sasuke trembled.

"You're the most hypocritical person I've ever seen! You're saying people shouldn't be weak and they can't be emotional in order to stay strong and resilient, and here you are breaking down and on the ground like a miserable dog."

"..." The Uchiha policy. That's all Sasuke used to hear about, all the time from his father, grandfather _and _great-grandfather. Never cry in front of other people, always judge people by the way they act when you first see them, for people don't change. So many rules and not enough freedom. Always seek your own strength, and never let people block you on your path of life.

"Fuck it."

"Pardon me?" The man's smirk faded into a frown.

Sasuke stopped his trembling and stood up slowly. "...Fuck the Uchiha policy. I don't need to be tied down to something that I don't even like. I grew up thinking the rules were the only thing to play by, only the special Uchiha rules. I'm tired of it, I want to do what I want and fuck the rules, I want my own rules. I can cry if I want to. I don't do it often anyway, so consider yourself special. And I'm not hypocritical; I didn't break down. Does it look like I'm on the ground? Hmm?"

He threw his third shuriken at the man, and the Forest folded into itself. He was standing with a shuriken in his hand and small beads of sweat had formed on his head. Naruto was whimpering next to him. Sakura was in front of him, her hair hanging above her shoulders. He stared at her in confusion.

"What just happened?"

"It was some weird subconscious test," she said. "I think."

"...Did you cut your hair?" His eyes wandered over to the pile of pink hair strewn about the ground.

"Yeah. Long story. Let's just help Naruto."

**XxXxXx**

"This isn't funny, you guys! Come out wherever you are," Naruto said, laughing nervously. Looking around, he couldn't find any trace of his friends. Sasuke's sharp scent and Sakura's sweet smell had all but disappeared from the Forest which was too quiet. No owls were hooting. No insects were chirping.

"You're really mean," he pouted. "Sakura, I didn't think you'd go along with this."

He heard a man laughing nearby.

"Who's there? Did you see my friends? Hello?" The blond started forward where he found a man wearing a long black coat and a hat concealing his face.

He kept on laughing.

"What's funny? Are you part of the joke too?" Naruto smiled in amusement. "Come on, did they pay you or something?"

"You're the joke, kid," he replied in a rude tone.

The smile slipped off the Jinchuuriki's face. "Wha?"

"They don't care about you enough to check if they left you behind."

What was with the guy? Naruto had met some pretty rude people before, but this guy was towing the line of downright cruelty. "Don't be mean; I just asked you a question."

"Didn't you hear me? They left you behind. It's not like they need you. You may think you're special because of the kyuubi but no one really likes you. You destroyed Konoha and now everyone has to suffer for it."

"I didn't destroy Konoha! It's not like _I'm _the kyuubi." Naruto glared at him with aqua eyes.

"You've been alone your whole life. What makes you think you have friends now? They just tolerate you because you're their teammate and you got some cool chakra. They're using you for your power. You hate being alone, don't you?"

"But my friends aren't like that. They would never leave me alone! Why, just last week Sasuke invited me to his house, and—"

"Wasn't that the day your sensei informed you that you'd take place in the Chuunin exams? Perhaps you never were meant to be in these exams, they just wanted to make sure you'd be in them so they'd have your kyuubi's strength in times of trouble." He pulled out a kunai. He pointed it at Naruto's chest.

"Hey, whoa. You don't mean that. Come on, you don't even know me. Why are we getting violent?" The blond clutched his chest. The bruises were beginning to hurt again.

"You've got no one to turn to. No one will care if you die. They'll be grateful that the kyuubi will die along with you."

"No! Don't kill me!" Naruto grew desperate. "People will miss me! They will!"

"Really? You think so? So if your blood is spilled all over this Forest, people would care? Tell me who cares about you."

"Are you stupid? Sakura and Sasuke, that's who! No matter where I go, I can always think of them and always know they'll be missing me." He shook his head. "When I was a little kid people either avoided me or took advantage of me. It's not my fault. I lived a sheltered life because of Iruka." Iruka. He could see Sakura and Sasuke appear in the distance. Sakura smiled at him and waved. Sasuke folded his arms and smirked. Iruka joined them, patting Sakura on the head, and Kakashi-sensei with his Icha Icha Paradise.

"I've got a lot of people who are waiting for me. I gotta complete this exam so I don't disappoint them."

The man threw the kunai right at him. It hit him right in the breast pocket of his shirt. With a surprised yell he fell backward, hitting the ground. The kunai fell into his lap.

"It didn't go through flesh?" Naruto wondered. Looking into his pocket, he found a metal charm of a baby chick.

_Hinata..._

He stood up. "Too many people care about me. I can't die today." He smiled goofily. "See, even the ones who aren't here are protecting me!"

"Naruto, get up you dobe!" Sasuke chastised.

"We're almost at the Shrine," Sakura crooned.

Naruto turned away from the man and he melted into the ground, along with the rest of the Forest. Everything went back to normal. Sakura and Sasuke were surrounding him with worried looks on their faces. He had never been happier to see them in his life.

"Naruto, you up?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto stared at the boy for a full minute before answering. "Heh, yeah I sure am! What are we waiting around for? Everyone's looking great today! Sakura, you're like a ray of sunshine piercing through the black night...did you cut your hair?"

Sakura sighed. "Yes, for frick's sake. I'll tell you about it later."

Naruto felt something in his breast pocket. He took out Hinata's charm and a scroll, colored black.

"A scroll?! Where'd it come from?" he wondered in amazement.

"Looks like we're pretty much set for the exams. Let's just get to the Shrine," Sasuke said.

They started walking. Every now and then, one of them would glance at the other two, and when they looked over, the person would look away, smiling. Sakura was grateful for all the chances her two friends had given her to grow and prove herself able to hold her own in combat. Sasuke was happy that he was no longer roped down by any strict rules and Naruto and Sakura liked the way he really was. Naruto couldn't love his friends any more than he did, for knowing what he held inside him and still not caring, for tolerating his impatience and all his flaws.

The three saw the Death Shrine Gate, a marvelous mahogany gate held up by golden rails set against white bricks. A faint blue seal was glowing around the gate handles.

Sasuke gathered up the three scrolls. "I'll do it. You both have used up a lot of chakra today." He shook them open and placed them on the ground in front of the gate. Reading the scrolls, he put his finger in his mouth and bit through his skin, blood dripping down his finger onto the scroll. He laughed lightly. "...I can't do this by myself."

"Alright, what do we have to do?" Naruto asked, stepping forward.

"Spill some of your blood onto a scroll. Pick one and we have to chant the incantation at the same time," he said.

Naruto nodded and picked the red scroll, quickly biting down on his palm and smearing his blood onto the words, making sure he could still read them.

Sakura was reminded of the oath she took with Naruto on their first day as a team. She had been so afraid to cut herself that day, to cause any pain to herself. Today, though, it didn't matter to her. Her fear of pain had disappeared. She wasn't afraid anymore. She bit her skin as hard as she could, breaking through it. She felt blood bubble up through the wound. She let it drip onto the scroll.

They put their hands together and recited the writings on the scroll at the same time. The scrolls began to glow, and the words peeled off the page and revolved around the gate. The seal disappeared and the gate began to open.

Gathering up the scrolls, they looked into the checkpoint area, the inside of the Shrine with abandoned old feudal houses where a bunch of teams were being examined. Kakashi was waiting for them on the other side, a small smile behind his mask.

They walked into the checkpoint, standing side by side. They continued the looking at, looking away routine. Three months ago, they had hardly known each other. Now they would put their lives in each other's hands without question. It had been a long three months, but they had managed to pull off some great accomplishments. Naruto had grown out of his go-with-your-gut attitude. Sasuke had stopped treating all people with contempt. Sakura had stopped running and hiding from conflict. They had been through more roadblocks in those three months than they had their whole lives. They had doubted, bled, given up, laughed, and dreamed. They had gone through their first training session. They had completed their first mission. They had teamed up and gone through everything with plenty of scratches, but with their heads held up high. Now, they had completed the Chuunin exams. They had gone over their first big hurdle as ninja. Who knew what else they'd have to face in the future? Perhaps the bright future Konoha was looking for was actually in reach.

The three knew, as they walked to meet Kakashi, that they were ready for anything now. All they'd have to do is stick it out to the end.

**XxXxXx**

Wow, this was a very long chapter. They keep on getting longer! This one reads on Microsoft Word as a whopping thirty-one pages. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, the entirety of the Chuunin exams for everyone to enjoy.

Another Team 7-centered chapter, in fact, that's really all who I focused on. Some Kakashi and Tsunade, of course. And I introduced Orochimaru, Kabuto, and Anko. Orochimaru's a very influential guy, and he really got Naruto worked up. I've got a lot planned for Orochimaru's character. Kabuto will also get spotlight eventually.

I just had to have Dosu, Kin, and Zaku in the exams. I liked those guys, and I thought it'd be a cool cameo. So, there they go.

The chapter was a heavy mental-challenge chapter, with all the personal battles the trio had to go through. It all ended up with them conquering over their former fears, showing how much they've grown since three months ago. Now that they've gotten more mature, it's time for our other favorites to start growing up.

Expect more new characters to pop up, and also expect me to back off on Team 7 a bit. I need to focus on the growth of the others, teachers and older persons included.

Well, see you next chapter!


	9. Tolerance Isn't For Everyone

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
****Slight AU warning.  
****Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!**

Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja triggers a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?

Note: _Italicized lines _often mean thoughts of a character or in some cases dreams. **Bolded lines **often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. _**Bolded italicized lines **_often mean flashbacks.

The Author Speaks: There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information given.There will be limes/_possible _lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes. Warning for Chapter 9—incestuous suggestions present.

I would also like to give a grateful shout-out to **Shy Faery89**, who's been a faithful fan and reviewer of this fanfic. She writes wonderful reviews that I enjoy reading after every update and she's given me a lot of feedback that's helped me configure my story so it fits together smoothly. Thank you!

Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except most of the characters are fifteen instead of thirteen. Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire. Kakashi never lost his eye.

Definitions:  
Kagome-Kagome – a Japanese game played by children where one child stands in the middle with his/her eyes closed and the other children dance in a circle around the child, singing. When they finish the folksong they stop and the child has to guess who is standing behind them.  
Bloody Mary – a usually alcoholic drink made with tomato juice

Songs:  
"I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" by My Chemical Romance  
"Nobody's Home" by Avril Lavigne (for Kiba)  
"My December" by Linkin Park (for Neji)  
"Eleanor Rigby" by The Beatles

**Show Me a Hero**

_**Chapter 9 – Tolerance Isn't For Everyone**_

It was late into the night. Children walked along the streets, playing glow-in-the-dark hopscotch and Kagome-Kagome, refusing to come inside when their parents told them to. Random clumps of people were chattering about the Chuunin exam turnout that evening, swapping far-fetched gossip about what had happened inside the Forest of Death. Otogakure natives walked underneath the flickering streetlights with frightened and repulsed looks from seeing the garbage piles in random alleys and the condition of the inns they were to be staying in until tomorrow morning.

A sign in front of a bar said "closed for party". Iruka Umino opened the door from the inside, walking against the side of the building to the freezer, where he pulled out two heavy bags of ice and stumbled back into the bar.

The immediate inside of the bar was empty, but there was loud music playing downstairs. He carefully walked down the derelict staircase holding the ice, thankful when he reached the bottom and threw the ice into the large bowl filled with beer and fizz drinks. He disposed of the bags and folded his arms, watching Naruto with a proud smile.

The boy was enjoying himself, sitting at a counter chatting with Hinata and Sasuke, trying to exaggerate his experience in the Forest, only to have his wild stories shot down by Sasuke, much to the lavender-eyed girl's amusement. Naruto pulled out something from his pocket and showed it to Hinata. She blushed and looked away, smiling. He cocked his head from her reaction and put the thing back into his pocket, then started talking to Sasuke, who was drinking a non-alcoholic Bloody Mary.

Iruka shook his head in astonishment. Naruto was the most naïve boy in the world.

"You look like you want to go over and talk to him." Kakashi appeared next to him, holding a bottle of beer that was half-empty. "But you're afraid of embarrassing him in front of his friends? You're not his dad you know."

"It makes me happy to see him with people, not alienated. I was afraid he'd grow up without real friends."

Kakashi held up his bottle. "I'd like to say something!" he announced.

The party hushed. Everyone present focused on him.

"Aren't you a little too drunk to make a speech?" Iruka asked.

"I'm not drunk," Kakashi said. "Maybe a little tipsy, but not drunk!"

The crowd laughed. Kakashi shook his bottle a little. "First, I'd like to say that Iruka and I took time out of our boring lives to plan this little party, because hell, we knew Team 7 would make it through the exams with flying colors, and they did!"

Everyone clapped. In the crowd, Sakura blushed a little. She stood in between Ino and Shino. Naruto smirked and held up his hands in egotistical recognition. Sasuke cracked a smile, choosing to hide his happiness behind his glass of thick red drink.

"I'm going to admit," Kakashi started, resonating seriousness, "that I didn't help them get to the level they're at now. I wasn't there for them, as a teacher, when they needed help. It's because of this." He gestured to the drink. "I'm regulating myself now; drinking to forget and drinking to forget everything are two different things. The next time Team 7 needs me, I'll be there for them. Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke...thanks for giving me another chance."

Whispers filled the small room. Iruka stared at his friend. He'd never heard words so strong come from his mouth before. It looked like Team 7 wasn't the only ones who grew up a little.

Naruto sat on the counter and smiled. "Kakashi-sensei, you're the one who gave _us _a second chance."

"Hmm?" The teacher didn't quite understand.

"When you recommended us to Lord Sarutobi to take the exams, that's when you redeemed yourself. Plus, admitting your mistakes isn't such a bad thing on your character highlights either," the blond pointed out. "I say cheers to Kakashi-sensei!"

"Cheers!" Sakura clapped, and Sasuke nodded. He held up his Bloody Mary.

Kakashi smiled meekly from the scattered clapping around the room. Today really was a good day.

"Come on, cut the serious crap and let's get back to partying!" Anko called from the back.

Everyone laughed, and soon the music started again and talk eventually filled the room. Kakashi took that as his step-down, and he took a swig of his beer. "How was that?" he asked Iruka, smirking.

"You're really a changed man, huh?" the brunette challenged.

"Not completely. I never said I quit drinking; I just don't do it every night like I used to. I'll get better as I get busier. I'm expecting more missions to come our way. Team 7 will be the talk of every hidden village. Lord Sarutobi will be flooded with letters in the next week, I'll bet you anything."

Kakashi saw Asuma and Kurenai in the corner, kissing passionately, Kurenai holding a glass of red wine. Asuma pulled away. He looked like he had enough, but the crimson-eyed woman entwined her fingers in his hair and pulled him in again. He sighed. _Looks like it's their turn to grow up. _

Kakashi searched for Team 8 and Team 10. Hinata was talking to Naruto—or to be accurate, Naruto was chatting happily with her while she nodded and stuttered a lot. Kiba was standing in a more lonesome corner of the room, glaring daggers at Naruto, and Shino was lighting up a cigarette while listening to Ino and Sakura. Ino was the only member of Team 10 present, though she looked ready to leave.

"Where's Tsunade?" Iruka interrupted his search.

"She's with Lord Sarutobi and the Otokage at Sarutobi's office. Yakushi-san's with them too, I think," he recalled.

"Shame she had to miss this. She's interested in Sakura you know. She's wanted to talk to her." The younger teacher checked the clock. "It's late; I've got to get home. Got some grading to do."

"Say goodnight to Naruto before you go," Kakashi advised. "He'd be crushed if you just left without talking to him."

Iruka knew Kakashi meant well. He just didn't have the courage to confront Naruto in front of his friends. He wanted to be the kind of guy Naruto loved completely, not to be messed up by accidentally saying the wrong thing. Oftentimes he wondered if he was too soft with the boy.

He went over to the counter slowly, trying not to look conspicuous. Too late; Naruto noticed him and waved. "Iruka, come join the party!"

"I was just about to tuck out, actually. I've got a lot of grading to do at home. But I'm really happy for you, Naruto. You really pulled through." He smiled at the boy, his almost-son.

Naruto shrugged and looked at him with one eye open. "Don't forget—who was it who trained me those three months? Give yourself some credit old man!"

_Old man. He called me old man. _Normally he'd be insulted by the term, but Naruto was a special case. He liked hearing it from the blond. He couldn't help his wide smile. "I guess I should."

"I'll see you tomorrow," Naruto said. "I'll be dropping by. Maybe I could help you grade. You've got all weekend."

"You don't want to run to answer mission requests?" Iruka asked, feeling a bit jaunty.

"Ah, they can go look for me. I'll be living in a golden mansion in no time," Naruto bragged.

Iruka laughed and ducked out, leaving him to go back to Hinata and Sasuke. He bid goodbye to anyone else who spotted him and stepped out into the street. His hands in his pockets, he walked back to his apartment, whistling.

Hinata thought Iruka was so sweet. He was such a good teacher—well-mannered, strong, and helpful. Despite being younger than Kurenai, he exhibited a sense of maturity the woman hadn't touched on yet. He wasn't qualified to be a Team Leader, but he sure housed more skills than Kurenai.

He was also kind to Naruto. He treated the boy the same way she did; fragilely. Iruka was a father figure to her crush. Now that she didn't have a father, she grew slightly envious of their relationship. She didn't spend much time with her father and she regretted it now.

"N-Naruto-kun, you did so well in the exams. I w-wish I could've been there a-at the beginning," she spoke.

"Don't sweat it. I knew I'd see you eventually. It's real lucky I had this little guy here; I never really believed in good luck charms but yours worked like a charm! Pardon the pun," Naruto said lamely.

Sasuke choked with laughter on his Bloody Mary.

"Quiet you!" the blond demanded.

Hinata thought it would be the perfect time to unveil her gift. "I k-knew you'd pass the exams, N-Naruto-kun, so I-I made these for y-you." She pulled out a box from under her coat and handed them to him, blushing madly.

"What's this?" he wondered, tugging at the strings tied around the box until they came apart. Neat rows of skewered sweet caramel dumplings were sitting on individual chocolate crackers, lightly glittered with powdered sugar.

His mouth watered as the appealing smell wafted up from the box and into his nostrils. "By the lord Hinata, these look amazing!" He plucked one from its cracker, plopping it in his mouth and chewing thoughtfully. "You _made _these? They're abso-fricking-lutely delicious!" Naruto popped a cracker in his mouth. His eyes shone. "I've never tasted sweets so good before, seriously. Ohhhh, come here you!"

The teen pulled an unprepared Hinata into a hug. She burned a color darker than Sasuke's Bloody Mary. She didn't know if she should reciprocate; he was still holding the box and if she moved he might drop it. She closed her eyes and relaxed in his warm embrace, letting it enfold her. It was a minute in heaven, and when he released her she kept herself in that utopia until he spoke again.

"You'll make a great wife someday, I'm telling you. You just scream 'housewife'." He grinned. "I love the housewife types. They're always so gentle and sweet and cute."

The Hyuuga had never been happier in her life. There were times when she'd imagine herself as Naruto's wife, as the housewife who dusted every room carefully and cooked dinner and kept it heated as she faithfully waited for her husband to return home, dressed in a crisp suit-and-tie combination and ready for some home cooking.

The only difficulty with that fantasy was that she hated housework. Neji was the type who tried to get her to do all kinds of chores every day and she preferred lying and resting, or reading, or taking a long walk, instead of being cooped up inside and cleaning.

"Naruto-kun, thank y-you."

Sasuke spit out the new Bloody Mary he had mixed for himself. "Shit! Does this have alcohol in it?"

"Sasuke, don't get drunk on me!" Naruto burst out laughing from the sour look on the dark-haired boy's face.

"N-Naruto-kun, c-can you tell me about t-the Shrine? What was i-it like?" Hinata wanted Naruto to look at her. She didn't like his attention focused on other things.

Sasuke was choking on his drink now, and Naruto pounded his back vigorously, laughing. "Just get it out the right pipe and we won't need Sakura to give you CPR!"

The drink came out, and Sasuke yelled in pain. "Naruto, you're hitting the shoulder Kin stabbed me in!"

"Naruto-k-kun?"

"What, you gonna start crying?" Naruto couldn't stop laughing.

"And you laugh at my pain. Thanks a lot, dick. Don't make me go through another mental battle, I already got enough of that shit earlier. Ugh, it's so past my bedtime." Sasuke clutched his head tiredly.

"You are the antithesis of a party boy. Welcome to the real world, Sasuke Uchiha." He raised a dumpling for Sasuke. "May you have a good, long, drunken life."

Hinata drew back sadly. Naruto wasn't paying attention to her anymore. She didn't have anything else to bring him back so she just sat at the counter sadly, slowly spinning her cream soda, watching her reflection against the tinted glass and listening to Naruto horse around with his friend.

Kiba watched Hinata watching Naruto out of the corner of his sharp eyes. A gauze pad was stuck to his cheek and bandages were wrapped all around his chest and left arm. He wore his coat completely closed, sick of people asking him if he was alright. Did it look like he was okay? His girlfriend was hanging onto another guy. She'd even baked him sweets. She had never baked anything for _him. _She was supposed to be doting on him.

Kurenai was drinking her third glass of wine that evening. She clung to Asuma's arm like an excited, but shy child. Asuma looked annoyed. He was constantly trying to pull away from her to go talk to a few teachers but she protested and kept him in her reach. If he had been Asuma, he would have told the bitch to go fuck off for a while.

Kiba wasn't afraid of Kurenai. She was an attention-seeking slut. She was harmless, too. He had no reason to be afraid of her. She usually got what she wanted but if anyone had the balls to tell her to shut up she probably would.

_Stupid bitch. _He didn't forgive her for her abrupt visit last week, to inform him of his placement in the exam selection.

_**The dogboy threw a pile of wood by the side of his house. He wore no shirt despite the cold weather. The work made him sweat and pant and he hated that. Akamaru sniffed the ground alongside him, snorting up dust and sneezing. Kiba laughed and bent over to pick up the pup.**_

_**He saw Kurenai trudging up the dirt road, holding a manila file. Confused, he wiped off his hands and reached for his shirt which was hanging from the flagpole.**_

"_**Kiba!" she waved, blowing him a kiss and winking sexily.**_

"_**Hey," he said, flashing a smirk that showed off his pearly white canines, "what brings you here?"**_

"_**Is your mom home? I gotta talk to her about something," she said innocently.**_

"_**..." Kiba didn't want her to talk to his mom. Who knew what she was there for? His mom was prone to overreacting. He put on his shirt and looked over at the house. "Uh, actually..."**_

_**Just as he was about to tell her that his mother was too busy to speak to anyone, Tsume Inuzuka came out of the house, wiping her dirty hands off with a rag. She had been digging up the back for a garden she wanted to plant. Kuromaru trudged behind her, paws caked with mud. He looked from Kiba to Kurenai.**_

"_**Ah, Kurenai Yuuhi. What brings you here? Speaking to my son?" Tsume asked pleasantly.**_

_**Kurenai smiled sadly. "Yup! Just having a little conversation. I'm here to see you actually. Um...wow, this is hard for me to do. I'm not really the person to say this..."**_

_**Kiba's stomach filled with butterflies. What did he do, or not do? Realization hit him. The Chuunin exams were in a week. He wiped off his hands and backed up against the wood pile. If his mom got angry, maybe she wouldn't hit him so hard so the wood wouldn't fall. Akamaru looked at him with big, confused eyes.**_

"_**Akamaru, go inside," Kuromaru commanded.**_

_**Akamaru obeyed, always listening to his elder. He barked at Kiba who smiled unhappily at his friend. He shook his hand and put up a finger. Akamaru knew that meant 'go away', so he ran into the house. Maybe the Haimaru Triplets would share some jerky with him.**_

_**The mother crossed her arms, interested in what Kurenai had to say. "What happened? Is someone hurt? They know I revoked my license. I'm not going on any missions."**_

"_**No, it's nothing that involves you directly," Kurenai said, putting on a semi-professional air which was impeded by her scantily clad body. "It's about the Chuunin exams that are taking place next week."**_

"_**Ah! Were you going to tell me who he's being placed with? Or is he participating alone?" She smiled and looked at Kiba with praise. He merely smiled nervously back.**_

"_**...Um...I'm sorry to say this," the crimson-eyed teacher found no reason to beat around the bush, "but your son didn't qualify for the exams. He failed the examination."**_

_**The smile on his mother's face was swept away instantly and replaced with a surprised, angry frown coupled with glaring eyes. "What?"**_

"_**It's hard to be so frank," Kurenai said, "but your son won't be in the Chuunin exams this year."**_

_**Kiba wanted to melt into the wood pile. Tsume looked at him with an acidic gleam. He started to shake, but controlled himself so he wouldn't look like a sissy in front of Kurenai. He started towards the house.**_

"_**Don't move a muscle," Tsume breathed slowly to Kiba, who froze on the spot. "How could my son not have passed the examination? He's been working hard for these exams! His strength has multiplied from three months ago, I know that for a fact! Let me see his files!"**_

_**The dogboy watched his mother and Kurenai, distressed. She started to fume over his file and began to yell angrily, not at Kurenai, just in general. He had gotten stronger physically, but that wasn't from training; it was because of all the work his mother made him do. His right arm was also considerably more muscular than his left. He used that arm for masturbation and whenever he couldn't see Hinata he decided to do something productive with his length.**_

"_**He hasn't met the level his sister Hana reached by her Chuunin exams. I know Inuzukas pride themselves on developmental standards, like a canine pack right?"**_

_**He wanted to punch his teacher. She was using their family's policy against him. Like she knew anything about what Inuzukas did, training wise.**_

"_**You can only be a strong as your weakest member," Tsume recited. "That's why we make sure everyone has equal power at certain cornerstones in their training. Kiba's been slacking off, I see."**_

"_**Mom!" Kiba pleaded. "I haven't been slacking off, I just—"**_

"_**Shut up!" she yelled. "I don't want to hear your excuses!"**_

_**Kurenai wanted to leave. She felt something bad was going down and she didn't want to be there when it happened. "U-Uh...so, now that you've seen why Kiba won't be in the exams, then you should prepare him for next year...kay? Kay. Bye!"**_

_**Tsume bowed respectfully to Kurenai. "Thank you for telling me this. Believe me, he will be ready next year."**_

_**Kiba's sense of security shattered once Kurenai was far enough down the path. Tsume rounded on him immediately. "Mom, come on, I..." he didn't know what to say. He screamed in fear when she tried to punch him, missed, and hit the wood pile. A log split in half with a sickening crack.**_

_**He tried to run. Kuromaru sighed sadly when Tsume grabbed his coat's hood and flipped him around, punching him in the jaw.**_

_**Kiba hit the ground, tears coming to his eyes and blood rushing down his mouth. He whimpered and backed away lamely from his fuming mother.**_

"_**You useless garbage. What the FUCK have you been doing this whole time, huh? Is fucking Hinata all that's on your mind?!" She kicked him under his chin, throwing him up into the air. With an arm, she sunk her fingers into his hair and pulled him forward, her other leg swinging up so he was pulled into it, his stomach caving in painfully as her foot sunk against his skin.**_

_**He was screaming loudly from the pain, the air leaving his body along with some blood. She dumped him on the ground. He doubled over, clutching his rapidly bruising stomach and crying. "M-Mom, I'm sorry..." he panted, blood trickling down his lips.**_

"_**Fuck sorry. I don't take sorry, you dumbass," she seethed.**_

"_**At the rate you're going you're going to kill the boy!" Kuromaru chastised. "Please, stop this cruelty."**_

"_**Go away, Kuromaru. This doesn't concern you. My husband may be dead but that doesn't mean you can act in his place!"**_

_**Kuromaru refused to let up on her. "I was his advisor! He would never let you do this to the boy. Don't take out your anger on him, or Hana for that matter."**_

"_**I don't need to beat Hana," Tsume said with an angry laugh, "she's a perfect daughter. This...this...whatever he is!" she kicked dirt at a weeping Kiba, "isn't fit to be my son! You shame this family! I don't know how anyone can stand to have you around. I know I can't, you reek of failure you...you...trashy little fuck!" Once again she pulled him up to his feet by his hair.**_

"_**M-Mom, please stop," he cried, "I won't...I won't slack off again, I promise. I'll train, I will!"**_

_**She threw him away from her. He collapsed on the ground in a fit of pain. His head throbbed along with his stomach. **_

_**Kuromaru shook his head. "Tsume, stop this..." **_

"_**Don't worry Kuromaru, I'm done with him. I'm done with you, you HEAR ME?" she screamed. "I never want to see your face again. Not at dinner, not when you're working, never. I swear to god, if I even so much as see you in the same room with me I'll make damn sure your face is unrecognizable so I don't have to look at it again."**_

_**Kiba shook fiercely, staring at his mother.**_

"_**THAT MEANS NOW!"**_

_**He got up and ran away from her, not looking back. He eventually tripped and fell, feeling something crack. His rib, probably. He brought himself up to sitting position and rocked back and forth, still shaking, his eyes wide with fear.**_

Now he'd have to find some way to get back to his house and up the stairs to bed without his mom seeing him. She usually sat downstairs and watched cop shows for hours. He'd have to climb up the side of his house and crawl into his room through the window, if it wasn't locked.

He walked over to where Hinata was with Naruto and Sasuke. He smirked at her. "Hey babe," he crooned, "what's with this?" He pointed at the box of dumplings. "You never made anything for me before. I'm kinda jealous."

"Hinata-chan! You shouldn't put me over your boyfriend," Naruto said with a disappointed frown. "Tsk tsk!" He grinned playfully at Kiba. "Sorry about that, Kiba."

"Heh. It's no big deal," he said, flashing his canines.

Hinata avoided his gaze. She didn't want Kiba to try and fight Naruto, not after Naruto spent a long day in the exams and Kiba's injuries. "I'm s-sorry, Kiba. I-I'll make some for you tomorrow."

Everything was pissing him off today. Naruto's stardom in the exams, Hinata's fawning over him, having to devise a plan to get into his own goddamn _house_; the world was against him. His girlfriend didn't even remember he hated sticky foods. "I hate caramel." His voice contained an underlying growl. "You know I hate food that sticks to my teeth, Hinata. Or you should at least. But it seems like you've memorized _Naruto's _likes and dislikes, huh?"

"She's really cool like that!" the blond chimed in with a smile.

Kiba was ready to punch the grinning bastard. He was actually considering doing it too, as punishment for him leading on Hinata for so long, until he heard a female voice behind him.

Sakura had left the conversation with Ino and Shino. She held two glasses of strawberry punch, beaming at Kiba. "Hello Kiba!" she said cheerfully. "Have a glass of punch; it's really good."

Sakura Haruno had beaten the Chuunin exams. He heard she single-handedly fought off an Oto-nin. The frail girl he knew during school now had some volume to her body, feminine muscles starting to grow. Those muscles...she could fight him.

His heart beat faster and he whimpered, though not audibly. "A-Ah...no!" he yelled when she stepped closer to him to give him a glass. "I don't want any punch! Leave me alone!" No, he couldn't act like this in front of everyone. He had to remain strong. But Sakura was scaring the shit out of him.

"Kiba? What's wrong?" Hinata asked, watching him, brow furrowed.

"Nothing! Just...NO!" Kiba jumped away from Sakura. "I don't want any! Stop harassing me! S-Sorry. I don't want any. Don't come any closer!"

The pinkette placed the punch on the table near Sasuke. "I'm sorry. Man, if you don't want any you don't have to freak out about it."

"Looks like someone's allergic to strawberries," Naruto said with a chuckle, "either that or very afraid of punch."

Kiba strode past Sakura and grabbed Hinata's hand, pulling her down from the counter. "Let's go. I want to leave."

"W-What? Why? I want to s-stay, though..." she protested, but his grip tightened on her hand and she desisted. "A-Alright, I'm going!"

"Yeah, walk your boyfriend home. I did say you'd be a good wife someday!" the blond joked, waving to them as they wordlessly left the party. Once they were gone, he plucked another dumpling from the box and sucked on it, stripping it of its caramel coating before chewing on the dumpling.

"You're awfully supportive of them," Sasuke spoke. "You're a good friend to Hinata."

"I know," Naruto sighed, "but sometimes whenever Kiba's around, I kinda want him to leave so I can spend more time with Hinata-chan. I like being with her. She's like Iruka in a way, except she's a girl. Is that weird, to wanna spend a lot of time with a girl?"

"I don't know. I'm not the best person to go to for advice on social bonding," the Uchiha pointed out.

In Sakura's previous circle, Ino was trying to carry on a conversation with the bug-boy. He wasn't cooperating much. She was thankful when her friend came back, holding a rejected drink.

"Kiba's off today," the pinkette said, sipping the drink.

"Do you know what's up?" Ino asked Shino.

"...He is usually like that. Temperamental," he spoke, taking a long drag of his cigarette. Behind his dark glasses he was surveying the blonde girl with interest, like a little boy at a candy store. It was not her nearly-exposed breasts or naked legs that drew him in. He saw a garter underneath her skirt, a cheap one with rhinestones. Trapped between the garter and her smooth leg was a folded ryo bill.

Sakura brushed her out of her eyes and a strand dislodged and floated to the ground. Ino watched it in disdain. "Oh Sakura, dear dear Sakura, you should have really let me know that you were going to cut your hair. I could've made it nice."

"I wasn't planning on this, believe me. But if you could fix it up tomorrow, I'd like that. I saw myself in a mirror; whew! I hope you don't have to cut it all off."

"You came to the right person," she winked, smiling.

"Then why don't you take a job at the hair salon? It's better than what you're doing now."

"No reason to. I make more from prostitution."

Shino had no interest in listening to the conversations of teenage girls. He wasn't opposed to the female form; on the contrary, plenty of women caught his eye. His teacher for instance. Kurenai was sexy, but cute in a way like a nagging puppy. Oftentimes he'd dream of tweaking her nipples while running his tongue along the inside of her wet mouth.

Nonetheless, he felt he had no time for a girlfriend. They cost money and there was only thing he was willing to invest in.

Ino dragged him back into the conversation masterfully. "Shino, I heard about your father. That's really harsh, man."

A twinge of annoyance, at both Ino and his father. Shibi Aburame was a hard-working man who believed in saving before spending. Resulting from this, Shino lived in a comfortable home without complaint. The hooker mentioning it didn't help his mood.

"What happened? Oh, your father was fired...that's right. He made good money, I bet. The paper company's a good place to work." Sakura had applied for a job there once. She was shot down three weeks later.

"Their rates were dropping. Less people were buying from them, so first they tried lowing salaries, and when that didn't work, it was off with the higher-ups." The tobacco tasted good in his mouth. It calmed him, though it didn't erase the truth. He had no money to buy from Zuro now that his father cut back his allowance. He hadn't shot up in two weeks. He managed to survive on two weeks of permanent markers.

"Does he have a new job?" Sakura asked.

"...Yes. He works at the meat plant."

"Oh, does he do insect inspections?"

"...No. He sweeps the floors."

Sakura and Ino exchanged glances. Neither was sure how to respond to that. "But...he could totally be an inspector," the blonde said.

"He doesn't have the license." Shino flexed his fingers nervously. "Ino. Are you working today?"

A surprised look from Ino. She smiled and shook her head. "Not today."

"...Oh." His plan shot down the drain. He was going to bed her, ask her to take a shower, steal her money, and then pay her for the session with her own money and leave with enough for some cocaine; maybe ecstasy if he was lucky. "You won't make exceptions?"

"Sorry. If you really want to then I'm working tomorrow, at seven. It won't be hard to find me."

He twitched. An erection was pressing against his boxers; disregarding it, he sighed. Not only was thinking about Kurenai making him horny but he was urging for some cocaine _now._

Kurenai.

Why hadn't he seen it before? She was as stupid as a rock and was nearly a prostitute herself. He could easily swindle some ryo off her without even having to stick it in. With the rate things were going down there, he wouldn't have minded a bonus but dreaming was all he could do.

"Excuse me," he said, being swallowed into the crowd to look for his teacher.

Sakura didn't understand Ino's logic. "Why would you say yes to him? You want to have sex with him?"

"It's my job," the blonde replied simply. "If I worked at a fast-food joint I wouldn't refuse to serve my customers if they were my friends. If he's got the money then I'll be happy to service him. I'm not picky. If you paid me I'd probably do you too, though I charge extra for lesbian play," she winked.

Great. Just what the pinkette wanted to hear. "I think I'll just pay you for haircutting."

**XxXxXx**

Neji stood in his sanctuary, the shower, letting the hot water stream against his pale, naked body. His flesh yearned for the shower all the time, but he limited them to twice a week. Water bills were high.

His face blushed red against the steam, water dripping from his eyelashes like tears. Only they were pure, clean water and not bitter, tainted.

It was this escape that also unfortunately came with the price of thought. Even if he chose to blast music while showering he couldn't stop his mind from wandering. All things had a bad side to them. He didn't like thinking. He just stuck to his routine without stopping to think. It was a waste of time.

He flicked his thumb over his member. It was limp, but after he expertly ran his fingers up and down the sensitive flesh it became quite rigid. He backed against a bare wall of the shower and began to pump himself, letting his head rest against the steamy wall.

Hanabi was downstairs watching cartoons when he last left her. Hinata was out at that party.

A party. With her friends.

Neji didn't have any friends—none that he knew the whereabouts of anymore, that is. After his team disbanded, the only people he made contact with from then on were his two cousins. He was practically a recluse.

Hinata may not have been happy with Kiba, but she couldn't say she didn't enjoy herself sometimes. She'd also spent time with Naruto often lately. She neglected her shinobi duties but now that he thought about it, it was all for those two boys. She was shy but she still found people she could talk to.

Who did Neji have?

No one.

_**Hinata was smiling as she entered the kitchen. Neji was reading a romance novel. He looked up at his cousin. "How were the exams?"**_

"_**You should have gone, Neji. Team 7 passed!" Hinata said happily. She went to the refrigerator and took out a box of sweets. "I wish I wasn't late...I w-wanted to say good luck to N-Naruto-kun..."**_

_**Neji wasn't able to go. He had to dust the house and fix a leaking sink. "Well I got everything done for today. You don't have to stay up."**_

_**She squirmed and flushed slightly, rubbing her index fingers together. "U-Um...Kakashi-sensei invited me t-to the post-exam party. N-Naruto-kun's gonna be there and I want to give him this." She showed him the sweets.**_

"_**...Oh." A twinge of jealousy ran through him. "...Fine. I'm not your parent. If you want to go then fine."**_

_**She squealed. "Thank you, Neji! It'll be so much fun!"**_

He was never invited to parties. No one really knew him. They'd heard of him but they never talked to him. Kiba invited himself over to the house but other than that Hinata hadn't so much as offered up the household for a place to hang out.

His heart panged. He really missed his friends.

He shivered in pleasure, breathing short and heavy gasps as he released all over his hand. Some of the cum dripped down his hand and was lost in the shower drain. He swirled his tongue around his hand, gathering up all of his release in his mouth and swallowing. It was something he had learned recently—he liked the taste of cum. His own was especially satisfying.

Sighing as his length became flaccid; he stared up at the ceiling. Hinata was probably laughing with her friends right now. He hadn't laughed in a year.

Neji realized the only emotions he had felt in a long time were anger, sadness, and lust.

He wanted someone there for him. Someone that he could wake up and look forward to seeing...someone just for him. A person no one could take away.

He turned off the shower and wrung his hair. Flipping it back over his shoulder, he stepped out of the tub.

Hanabi was standing on the rug next to his sink.

With a yelp of surprise, he jumped back into the shower. "Hanabi, why the hell are you in here?!"

"I was taking a shower too, but the water shut off." She shivered. "Can you help me?"

She was naked, water dripping down her developing body. Her chest just had a hint of growing breasts. His eyes wandered down to her hairless slit.

Blood rushed to his length and he cursed under his breath. He hid behind the curtain. "Hanabi, you shouldn't walk around naked."

"But you're my cousin. You just told me not to be naked in front of people I don't know," Hanabi said.

"It's not a decent thing to do. It makes people uncomfortable." Neji cursed his new erection. The last thing he needed was to have Hanabi see his eight inches pointing at her, as if picking her as the one to satisfy it. "Look, you can have my shower." He tried to fight off impure thoughts that were crawling into his head. Hanabi touching his length, Hanabi writhing underneath him...

_I'm one sick fuck. _"Turn around."

She did so, humming. He tried not to stare at her pale rear as he grabbed a towel and wrapped it quickly around his waist. His erection pressed against the soft cloth. "Just turn the water back on. Your shower shut off because you overused the hot water."

She smiled a cute nine-year old smile. "Thank you, Neji!"

He left the bathroom without a reply. Rushing to his room, he collapsed on his bed. The towel loosened from his waist and fell. His member pointed freely and he sighed. Hopefully at the end of the month he'd have some money for a prostitute. He felt dirty every time he thought of his cousins. And to think, Hanabi had become a new subject of his fantasies.

She was in third grade.

He was a graduated shinobi. Sixteen years old.

_Disgusting..._

He had nearly completely chased Hinata out of the house. Whenever he asked for her help she would find herself mysteriously caught up in plans with Kiba or Naruto. He was often cross with her. He was insanely jealous of her and he took it out on her all the time.

Maybe the reason he was alone was because he drove everyone away.

**XxXxXx**

Sarutobi wrinkled his nose at what Tsunade was drinking. Vodka mixed with hazelnut coffee. Honestly, could his former student think of anything more disgusting to drink?

The lord was embarrassed when he took Orochimaru on a tour of Konoha but he seemed not to mind. He smiled at everything and made comments about the artistic wonder of graffiti and the quality of the fruit and vegetables sold in carts.

At the moment they were in the meeting room, with Orochimaru and Tsunade sitting across from each other and Sarutobi at the head of the table. Kabuto stood loyally next to Orochimaru. His guards had been dismissed. Konohamaru was playing quietly in the corner.

"I can see there are many things Konoha needs," Orochimaru said with a sigh. "This poor place is ever so dreary. What can I do to help?"

"We could ask for more money, but there's no way you could do that. Taxes in Otogakure must be very high as it is," Sarutobi said.

"Not at all. The Bureau thinks they're too low but I'm still giving the most money to them in the end so it doesn't matter, does it? Although I cannot say giving you a higher portion of money would be an intelligent choice of mine. We have a...less than stellar relationship with the Land of Waterfall at the moment. I have a sinking feeling that we'll face a battle soon. I need to reinforce our army with new scrolls." He intertwined his long fingers.

"What'd you do?" Tsunade asked, taking a swig of that god-awful drink.

"There was a misunderstanding with export money. Takigakure receives imports from us of watermelons and one of my workers decided to be rebellious and destroy the crates before they reached Taki. The storage yards weren't happy." He sighed. "Tsunade, may I have a taste of that?"

She handed him the bottle. Sarutobi nearly gagged when he tilted the liquid into his mouth. His students were both crazy. They had the strangest tastes.

"Ah! That wakes you right up," Orochimaru said cheerfully. "This could be useful for pulling all-nighters, don't you think so Kabuto?"

"...It doesn't look very healthy," Kabuto admitted. "And you know I hate alcohol."

"I know, I know. You lecture me more than enough in a week," the Otokage sighed.

Sarutobi watched them, amazed. They sounded like a married couple, completely unlike an apprentice and master. Orochimaru was a hard-worker but also had laid-back qualities, if that made sense. The two men had an unspoken understanding between them, acknowledging their faults with amusing complaint.

"Back on topic. I'm sure I have enough in my reserves to help you out with something. What do you think is most important?"

"The hospital," Tsunade spoke up. "I want that place fixed. I was insulted just from looking at it. Sad excuses for doctors _and _horrible living conditions. I'm surprised I could even treat a patient in there without her getting some godforsaken disease."

"I agree. I believe the hospital is one of the focal points for a good village. Also, once the news of Team 7 gets out I'm sure more people will want to enlist your help. And as you send different teams and they come back successful you'll soon be building your economy. I have a hope for Konoha." Orochimaru pulled out a document and began to write. "A check for Konoha...enough to hire builders for the hospital. I'll also get some teachers to make a visit here, teach some classes about mechanics. A few doctors would be good too, to assist you. Interns. You'll have the hospital working well in no time. Also your aspiring mechanics and construction workers will be able to go to a good school and learn what they need. That way you won't have to pay extra for services in other villages."

"I'll cut the price of medicine sold in Konoha drugstores," Kabuto announced, adjusting his glasses for the umpteenth time that meeting.

"Can you do that?" The woman asked.

"I'm the head of the department; I can do anything. The sales of medicine in Konoha are abysmal anyway. Everyone's trying to make their own remedies. If I cut the price of medicine, more people will buy medicine and even with the lower price there will be a bigger gain because of higher consumption. I'm keeping the medicine tax the same regardless."

He flashed a knowing smile at Tsunade. It made her feel insignificant. "...To think I can't even make a calculated decision like that."

"There's nothing wrong with a little help now and again," Kabuto crooned. "I hardly think you've run a hidden village before."

_Well, neither have you, _she thought, annoyed by his quick intellect. She took another drink of the spiked coffee. _Then again, I've never been a patient woman outside of healing. This guy probably has the patience of a sloth._

Orochimaru was reading a list of Sarutobi's plans for Konoha he had put away in a drawer until Tsunade reappeared. "...These will be large accomplishments if everything works out the way they're supposed to. No unfortunate inconveniences or anything. I'll be happy to redirect missions to you; the ones that will end up closer to Konoha anyway. After all, I can't pay for every train trip you'll need to go on. Unless you want to walk the entire way, that is."

"I wouldn't discipline them that far," Sarutobi said.

"When we arrive back in Otogakure I will have shipments of medical textbooks and library restocking materials ready for you. Will you pay for that up front?" the Otokage inquired.

"We will not pay for it at all," Tsunade said. "I'll send some Gennin by train to get them."

"Oh, putting your children to work now? What a good idea! Free and builds physical strength. Can you afford that many tickets?" He watched his old teammate with a worried look.

"With the shinobi discount, sure. I'm only sending about six Gennin plus sensei."

Orochimaru and Kabuto exchanged glances. The older man spoke up cheerfully. "How about I give you enough money for four extra tickets? For Team 7 and Kakashi-sensei, that is."

Tsunade stared at him, flabbergasted. "Uh...if that's what you want...why?"

"I believe it's a good reward for passing the exams. A visit to Otogakure, the most prosperous city on the continent! Don't you think they'd like it?"

_Awful smug of him, but he's got a point,_ Tsunade thought. "If that's what'll float your boat. I don't run this joint."

"I will allow it," the Lord confirmed.

"With all that aside, I think this meeting is adjourned." Orochimaru stood up and bowed to Sarutobi and Tsunade. "It has been wonderful seeing you two again. I was hoping to maybe catch sight of Jiraiya while I was here, but it seems I missed him."

"You wouldn't have seen him any other day. He left the year you became Otokage. I watched him go." The blonde's amber orbs wandered down to the meeting table, sadness misting over her eyes.

He detected it. "Did you cry for him?"

Her head snapped up. She flushed lightly, an angry look on her face. "No! I'll never miss that perv. Good riddance to him."

Her old teammate smiled gently. "Let's not get back into the old love triangle again, shall we?" He sighed nostalgically. "Those were the good old days. But today is in the present. The old days are merely memories that we can keep and cherish. They should not get in the way of the future. Will you let _your_ feelings get in the way of the future?"

She stared, puzzled. Orochimaru shook his head and walked over to Tsunade. "It's been a dream seeing you." He kissed her on the cheek.

Tsunade stood there, stunned. Orochimaru and Kabuto cleared the room, the former asking his assistant about available hotel rooms in the area. She folded her arms, feeling warm all of a sudden.

"_**It's been a dream seeing you."**_

_He always had a way with words, _Tsunade thought._ Even if you didn't know him well he could make it seem like you've been close friends for years. That must've helped him on the road to being Otokage. Not a lot of people have an air like that._

"You're blushing."

Her ex-sensei's words brought her out of the clouds. She harrumphed and turned away from him. "Shut up! He just surprised me is all."

"Don't think I can't read your mind, Tsunade. I used to be your teacher; I remember the two of you. You hit it off pretty quickly. Always made Jiraiya jealous." He laughed while Tsunade growled.

"Let's just go. I have train tickets to give out."

**XxXxXx**

The party had finally ended. People were climbing up the stairs of the bar in droves, chatting or swinging around drunkenly. Sakura was talking to Naruto and Sasuke, Ino following behind shyly. Normally she had no qualms talking to men, but in this case Sasuke made her nervous. He glanced back at her more than once. She avoided his gaze.

Falling back from his teammates, he walked next to her up the stairs and through the bar. "Why so shy?"

"I dunno," she professed. "You make me feel weird."

"Love?" he joked, smirking at her. His black bangs framed his face perfectly.

"No! I dunno," the blonde reiterated. "This is weird. Usually I'd be the one making jokes like this and you'd be the quiet one. You definitely aren't the same stone-cold guy from the graduation ceremony."

"I wouldn't define me as an outgoing back-slapping fellow just yet," Sasuke warned. "This is a rarity for me. I feel comfortable around Naruto and Sakura. They make me want to be more open."

"They're expanding your comfort zone. Don't take it as a sign of weakness. Ugh, I hate sounding so intellectual. I'm stupid, this doesn't suit me." Ino folded her arms.

"You're not stupid. Well, you aren't very wise but you're not stupid. Believe me, I know when a person's stupid." Sasuke took a closer look at her face. She was wearing only a faint layer of powder that defined her face rather than hid it. Her mascara was applied so her eyelashes looked prettily-curled and full, and her eye shadow only covered her eyelids as opposed to the area under her eyebrows. Her lips had a thin application of gloss so that they were sparkly and pink, delicious and kissable. "Without all your makeup I'd give you a 9."

"Huh?" The comment took her off guard.

"A 9 out of 10. Remember when you asked me if I thought you were pretty and I gave you a 6? Well...keep what you have now and there's nothing wrong with you. Trying to dress yourself up too much just makes you gaudy and unattractive." Sasuke looked at the floor, random strands of pink hair leaving a trail to follow Sakura.

Ino pushed her hair out of her face. "Y-You think so? Thank you..." she smiled. "You don't know how happy that makes me." She had never received a compliment like that before. Usually the men she worked with always told her she was beautiful, even with all that makeup on. Sasuke was the only male she knew who hated her seven layers of eye liner and cover up.

_Strike that thought, he's not the only one, _she thought. Chouji's plump, happy face floated into her mind. _I wonder if he thinks I'm a nine..._

They were blocking the entrance of the bar. Asuma took a drag of his cigarette before ushering them aside. He stepped out into the late-night air, looking around for Kurenai. She had disappeared before the party's end and he had failed to locate her since.

He watched Ino walk amongst Team 7. She had been the only student of his to attend the exams, surprising him. He thought Ino could care less about the exams. Of course, she might have only been there to cheer on Sakura, but it was still something.

Ino wasn't the main person on his mind at the moment. Right now, Kurenai was his concern. He searched for her amongst the groups of people, listening for her high-pitched squeals and slow dialect. He heard what he was looking for in the alley between the bar and a boarded-up house.

Asuma froze in horror.

Shino, Kurenai's own student, had his girlfriend pressed against a wall. Though shorter than her, she was leaning against it in such a way that their faces were parallel. One hand was resting above her head and the other on one of her hips. She blushed and moaned as he moved his hand to stroke her most sensitive part.

"That's all I need, Kurenai-sensei. It'll be very helpful to my family. Please, be a good teacher," he coerced, his playful hand massaging one of her breasts.

Kurenai gasped in surprise and smiled at him. "S-Shino, you're such a bad boy," she cooed. "I-I'll be happy to give you some money if it'll help you out, but you d-don't have to be so...ahh!" She cried out when Shino ran his tongue all along her neck. Shaking with pleasure, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a few ryo bills.

Shino took the bills. Eyeing them, he deduced they were enough money and that he could be done with his seduction. Moving away from her, he adjusted his sunglasses. "Thank you, sensei." He couldn't say that he didn't enjoy touching her.

"You surprised me," the crimson-eyed woman spoke, wiping her neck of his saliva, "I had you pegged as a shy boy."

He didn't reply. He had to go to Zuro's house, but before that he decided he should try to swindle Ino one more time. "Thank you again," he repeated, turning around and leaving her, flustered, against the building wall.

Kurenai watched him walk away, still in shock from his sudden come-on. One minute she had been smoking out back and the next she was in the grasp of her most mysterious student. He didn't have to touch her just to get the money, but she never turned down a man's strong hands.

She pulled out another cigarette and started to leave when another man blocked her path, this time however it was Asuma and he looked furious. She stared at him guiltily. "A-Asuma..."

"What the hell was that?" he questioned, not bothering to keep his voice down. "Why do I come out looking for you and see you being seduced by your own student? And why didn't I see you push him away?"

She didn't meet his gaze. "He wanted some money, and I thought it'd be a good thing to do, since his father lost his job and all. Oh come on, Asuma dearest, he's not replacing you or anything!"

"_Replacing _me? Do you think I'm letting your little bits get groped by whoever feels like it? They're not for anyone but me. Isn't that what a relationship is? That stuff's like cheating!" He grabbed the cigarette from her and threw it. "Walking around with your ass showing and your boobs coming out of your shirt, smoking just to look sexy..." Asuma was disgusted.

It was the kunoichi's turn to become cross. She folded her arms. "What's your point? You never complained about it before today. Hell, you encouraged it! Jealous because other boys find me attractive? It's not surprising, dumbass, I'm a sexy girl, and I don't restrict myself to just you."

His blood ran molten. "Y-You let other guys..."

"Yes. Why do you think I get so many grins and smiles? Don't worry, I don't let them enter here," she pointed to her opening, "but they still get a little bit of me. I like boys and I like them touching me and I don't want you to be the only one. That's boring."

Asuma couldn't believe what he was hearing. Kurenai was a flirtatious woman, yes, but he didn't think she'd sink so low. At first he began to question his own actions—had he been doing something wrong, something that didn't feel good to her? Worry melted into anger, how dare she act like a promiscuous hussy. He never hurt her, he was always patient with her stupidity and went out of his way to keep her from making a fool of herself. Apparently he spent too much time cleaning up after her while she was far ahead with some other man, or three.

"Boring?" he roared. "I've been the best person to you that you've ever met! Your parents raised you on your looks, not on your brains, and I accepted that. I didn't think you would be so _stupid _as to cheat on me. Now I see though. All this time I've been dating a slut, a stupid little slut. You're not healthy to be around, you know that? You latch onto people and depend on them; you feed off their energy while they do everything for you. But no," he hissed, "that's not enough for you. You go and spread yourself to other people and feed off them for just a little while, and then go back to your main host. You're a parasite. You're a fucking _worm._"

All the time Asuma had been talking, Kurenai grew more and more distressed. Tears erupted from her eyes and she cried as he continued to demean her. People who were passing by stared, some of them stopping and trying to catch onto what they were arguing about.

Finally, she snapped too. Not bothering to warn him, she interrupted his slurs with a powerful slap across the face. She cried just as hard, but her lips were contorted with an angry frown. He stopped talking and stared at her in wonder.

"How dare you call me those things," she started, her voice quiet but acidic. "If you want to be angry then that's fine but you don't have to say so many mean things." She had to stop and let her tears take over, and she didn't start up again for a while.

All that while Asuma stood with her, embarrassed. When she finally gained her composure she flipped her hair behind her. "I don't want to see you." Without looking to see his reaction, she walked away.

He watched her grow farther and farther away until she became another spec of a person down the street. He lit up a new cigarette, not speaking. After sucking on it for a while, he punched the wall. "Fucking bitch," he seethed.

"I heard you two arguing," a different female voice rang in his ears.

It was Anko. Her arms were crossed and she was watching him with worry and pity. "She's a bitch, huh? I never liked her. I always thought she was playing you behind your back."

"...How could I have been so stupid?" he asked. "I never thought she'd do that to me. Even if she was a little provocative I didn't think that she'd cheat on me."

"She's not a monogamous woman. She likes attention and when she gets it she milks it for all it's worth. She's an immature priss. Why she's a teacher I'll never know. Don't think there's something wrong with _you _for what _she _did." The dark-haired woman took the cigarette from his mouth and inserted it in her own. She grinned. "Come on, cheer up."

"Can I have my smoke back?" He asked tiredly.

"Maybe if you walk home with me. Come on, you could use a friend right now. Plus some chatting won't hurt no one."

Asuma sighed. "I'm not in the mood..." Now that he looked at her, she might be someone he'd like to talk to. "Eh, sure, I guess. But give me back my cigarette."

"Oh come on, you have a whole pack!"

Tsunade came through the alley, her hand clutching a cluster of paper. She didn't pay attention to the laughing Anko and Asuma and searched for available Gennin. Luck was against her that night, however, as she had arrived a little late and most Gennin had gone home. She noticed Shino talking to Ino.

"You two!" she called. "Aburame, Yamanaka!"

They directed attention towards her. "Sorry, but you're still gonna have to wait until tomorrow," Tsunade heard Ino say.

"Tsunade-san," Shino acknowledged.

"For you both," the woman said. "Train tickets to Otogakure. It's to help pick up shipments for Konoha. You could say it's a mission. One for you," she handed one to Shino, "and one for you," this time she gave one to Ino.

"We have to be at the train station by eight?" Ino moaned. "That's early."

"Where are your teammates?" Tsunade inquired.

"Shikamaru's at home, and Chouji is too. Do you want me to give Chouji a ticket? Shikamaru lives kinda far away..." the young kunoichi offered.

"That'd be good, thank you." She handed her another ticket. "I'll get this one to Shikamaru later tonight." She couldn't help but smile. She already had four Gennin willing to help her out. Two more was all she needed, and Shino's partners would fit that nicely. Couple up Team 7, 8, and 10 with Kakashi, herself, and Tsume Inuzuka and they had a crew. Kiba and Tsume's canine partners were free to board as long as they didn't cause trouble.

"Hinata most likely is currently with my other partner Kiba at the moment," Shino said. "I think they would be found at the Hyuuga residence."

"Perfect," Tsunade said. "You guys are a huge help, thanks. Oh, is Kakashi around?"

"He might still be inside, cleaning up."

And inside he was, washing down the tables dirtied with cake and spilled liquids. He looked up, rag in his hand. "Tsunade, hello," he said. Kakashi wasn't sure how to treat her, exactly. She had often assaulted his failure to teach his students properly and was looking for any excuse to revoke his teaching privileges. Then again, she also put a lot of confidence in the growth of his team and he could see she had a special place in her heart for them.

"Kakashi, these train tickets are for you and Team 7. They're to Otogakure," she spoke.

He stared at her in disbelief. "What?"

"It's to help me pick up deliveries to Konoha. They're packages for textbooks and library materials. I thought it'd be a good idea to get some Gennin to go with me. I've already got a few teams coming." Tsunade handed him the tickets.

Kakashi smiled underneath his mask. "I went to Oto twelve years ago, with my old team. It was one of the best days of my life."

"...You can talk about them now," she observed.

He didn't understand. "Talk about them?"

"Your old teammates, Obito and Rin. I heard from Sarutobi that you haven't been able to let go of their memories ever since they died." She stared down at the table. To think she heard that from Sarutobi. Everything she had to know about Konoha she learned in an extremely short time. Even now, she still felt like an outsider.

The silver-haired teacher grew quiet. He went back to cleaning tables and throwing away half-eaten food. Tsunade didn't move an inch. She took a breath. "I'm sorry...sorry for harassing you. I shouldn't judge your teaching, not with what you had to go on and what you thought would happen to Team 7. You thought they'd just fall by the wayside like every other team, right?"

He laughed sadly. "You read me like a book. I thought that, yes I did. But they had some sort of passion...a passion that awed and frightened me. It was like reliving the past. I guess if I had been some naïve moron I'd have happily trained them, but they reminded me too much of...of Obito, Rin...and myself. That's why I backed away. Sakura came to visit me one night. She wanted me to train her. Unfortunately she caught me on one of my drinking nights. I drink to forget about the past but I saw her and...no, I saw Rin. And that scared the crap out of me. That's why I turned her down. I've been so afraid that the past would repeat itself and that I'd be caught up in the middle of it again, that I just wanted them to leave me alone."

"You know, I'm flattered your telling me all this. I didn't think you liked me much."

"I don't blame you _for _judging me. After all, it was a mistake I shouldn't have made. But that's over, it's in the past. If I can get over that then I'm sure I can get over what happened twelve years ago. I'm gonna train Team 7 as well as I can, and now that they're Chuunin I want to make sure they learn all their brains can hold." He threw the rag into a water bucket and walked into the basement kitchen, Tsunade following.

She watched him dump the bucket into a sink. "I know successful people when I see them. Team 7, with the right guides, will rise high."

"But will they want to take Konoha up with them—or will the load be too heavy to carry?" Kakashi asked.

"...I think we'll cross that milestone when we get to it."

**XxXxXx**

It was definitely too late at night to be walking up to people's doors and asking to see so-and-so's son, but Chouza was a simple-minded man and Ino was sure he wouldn't mind. She could deliver the train ticket and see how Chouji was doing in one fell swoop.

"Ino, whatchu doing here?" Chouza asked sleepily, dressed in a messy tee-shirt and baggy grey pajama bottoms.

"I'm sorry to wake you," Ino said apologetically, "but I wanted to see Chouji. Do you think he'd mind?"

"Uhhhh, I dunno, he's still got tomatoes everywhere but uh—"

"Damnit dad just let her in!" Chouji's voice drifted through the dark house. He sounded angry and rushed.

Chouza obeyed and opened the door wider, letting her in. Ino stepped into the house and Chouza waddled off back to bed. She heard the springs on his bed groan and she walked in a little further. "Chouji?"

He responded after a little while. "In here."

She walked towards his voice and saw a door covered in posters. Assuming it was his room, she went inside. The light was off and she could just make out Chouji's figure from the moonlight creeping in-between his closed shades. "I'm sorry, were you sleeping?"

"No. It's okay."

"You weren't at the Chuunin exams today. I thought you would have gone," she spoke.

"I didn't feel like it." He made no effort to open the light.

"Oh," Ino replied.

They didn't talk for a little while, which confused the girl. Chouji was a very sociable person. He might be shy at times but he was usually very open around her. Tonight, he just seemed off.

"This is ridiculous," she said finally. She turned on the light, the bulb flickering twice before illuminating the room with a slightly dim glow. The light landed on Chouji, and she did a double-take in surprise. "Oh my god..."

The boy was nearly naked except for the boxers that clung around his large waist. His belly and legs were covered in red splotches. His face was flushed and sweat dripped down his forehead, his hair—which he had not bothered to gel—was hanging down flat and sticking to his neck where the sweat gathered. His face was black-and-blue. He looked away from her shamefully.

"Oh my god," she repeated. "What happened to you?"

"...I fell."

"Don't give me that bullshit," she said angrily. "Did someone hurt you? Who was it?"

"I'm a man. I don't get pushed around."

"Stop defending your manhood! I'm not _attacking _you, for god's sake! Who hurt you?" Ino got closer to him and leaned down, bending her knees and looking up at him. She touched his forehead. "You have a high fever."

Chouji bit his lip. She heard his breathing become staggered and she could tell he was trying not to cry. Finally, he gained his composure. "I-It...it was Shikamaru."

As soon as that name rolled off his tongue the tickets become unimportant to her. She didn't even bother producing them from her pocket, instead she stood up silently. "Stay here," she ordered, even though he wasn't about to go anywhere.

She went into the main room that connected to every doorway, and headed for the bathroom. Rummaging through the cabinets she found some medicine that could bring his fever down, though he had nothing he could use to help the splotches.

Entering Chouji's room again, she gave him two fever-reducing pills. "What are the splotches?" she asked. "Hives?"

He scratched at them intently. "No, leech bites."

Ino had no clue how to remedy leech bites. She left the room yet again and grabbed some ice from the ice tray in the fridge. Grabbing a kitchen mitt, she came back into her friend's room with the melting ice pieces and sat across from him. "Stay still." She put on the mitt and pressed the ice to one of the bites. Manually it would take a while, but she was willing to stay there as long as she could.

Chouji moaned in pain. "It's cold. It hurts."

"I'm sorry. This is the only thing I can think of doing." She smiled half-heartedly. "Bear with me, okay?"

She switched the ice to another bite. While she doctored him, he told her everything that had happened, from the kids tricking him into the leech-infested pond to his confrontation with Shikamaru while trying to get some Nara medicine from him. She listened carefully and caringly, switching the ice until it completely melted and applying new ones. She had him lie down so she could balance three ice cubes on the bites on his stomach, moving them across his skin every so often.

"...I'm going to kill Shikamaru," she said quietly. "You really shouldn't mention me around him. He'll go into a frenzy."

"Why, though?" Chouji asked, coughing a little. "I don't know why he hates you so badly. It can't _just _be because of the prostitution, can it?"

Ino decided it was the time to tell someone. Chouji was her best friend and on top of that, he was a great guy. He'd never spread gossip. "No, believe me; it's not because of that. And I trust you very much, so I will tell you what happened. All of it. Can you promise me that you won't hate me too?"

Chouji nodded. And so she told him, everything, from when they started dating to the event that made him hate her from then to the present. When the scenario left her lips, the boy's eyes widened, completely overwhelmed.

"You really..." he said quietly.

She nodded, smiling sadly. "Yes, I did. And I'm not proud of it, and I can't say he can't hate me because of that. But it's just the way he acts now is ridiculous. He's shut himself off from the world completely. He's numb. He feels no emotion anymore. He doesn't care about anyone or anything, not even himself. It's not right. I want him to go back to the way he was, even if he still would hate me for what I did."

"...Ino..." Chouji whispered. He looked at her, and she was still the same amazing, beautiful girl he had grown to care about as much as his father. Even though he couldn't condone what she did at all, it didn't affect him much at all.

"Do you hate me?"

"Of course not! I could _never _hate you. You'd never do something like that again, I know you wouldn't. Not with you sitting here and taking care of me when you should be at home in bed, god how could you think I'd hate you?"

"I dunno. I do a lot of stupid shit," she said. "This isn't about me though. It's about what he did to you."

"What're you gonna do about it?"

"I'm gonna go see Shikamaru tomorrow and give him a piece of my mind. I'm not ignoring him anymore. I want him to stop what he's doing, or rather, what he _isn't _doing. It hurts to see him like that, with his face glued to that TV screen and ignoring everything around him. Someday reality is going to bite him in the ass and he'll die out there. I can't allow that, even if he won't want my help." Ino looked at Chouji. "You were his best friend once. I'll make sure he understands what he's done to you."

"I wanna go too," Chouji insisted. "I'll back you up."

"No," she affirmed. "You're sick. Please just take care of yourself."

"I can't laze around in bed though. I have to take care of the house," he pointed out. "My dad's not in the condition to do that stuff so I gotta do it for him."

"I'll help you, I swear," Ino promised. "I'll come over every day and help you, every day."

"But you have the flower shop..."

"Not anymore. Dad didn't want me working without pay and he can't pay me because we can't afford to give up any money that we get from customers, so I don't have another job yet. I'm looking around, maybe at clothing stores, but I've gotten no luck. But for now I wanna help you. Will you let me?"

There was sincerity in her periwinkle eyes that Chouji couldn't resist. She was a dedicated working girl; she just didn't do work if she didn't like what she was doing. After a minute or so, he nodded. "Sure. You can help me."

She smiled. "Thank you. I should really get going now. Dad's gonna have my head, but that's okay. I'll come see you after I chew out Shikamaru, okay?"

"Sure. Tell me how that goes," he said. "And thanks for taking care of me."

"I'm glad you're not stubborn," she laughed. She stepped out of the room and he heard the front door open and shut a bit later.

He flopped down on his bed, Ino clouding his mind. She trusted him, and he trusted her all the same back. What he had confessed to him was horrible, but he knew she was truly sorry for it and it would never happen again. He didn't feel reserved around her at all, in fact, what she had told him just made him feel even more kindness towards the girl. He closed his eyes, his bites not itching anymore. Perhaps tonight he'd finally get a comfortable sleep.

**XxXxXx**

Whew, another long chapter. Same length as the last one, about. Sorry about the two-month wait, believe me, I can usually move a lot quicker than this but I just haven't been in a fic mood lately. But now that my boyfriend's gone for a week I can give AIM and the phone a rest and update. Not saying it's a bad thing to talk to him, I love it.

Going to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix today with two of my friends, one of them happens to be another fanfiction writer, her username is Ketsueki Touji and she's on my Favorite Authors list, for a good reason! If you're in a Harry Potter craze I suggest you check out her wonderful one-shots, but only if you're into Snarry and Drarry. And that means YAOI.

I expanded more on Shino's character for once. He's quite a swindler, but he's got a serious addiction so he really doesn't care about anything else when he's in withdrawal. Kurenai's shown her true self, and Asuma was, frankly, not happy with that at all. So how will the relationship end up? More coverage on that in later chapters. I also finally got some Iruka in there, he's a cool guy but he always ends up in the background.

Poor Kiba...now what will he do now that his mother doesn't want him around her anymore?

Neji, Neji...he's a troubled guy, that's for sure. If he continues having these sexual urges there's going to be a lot of trouble in the Hyuuga household.

I also got some more Tsunade and Kakashi in there. She's apologized for her behavior, so our favorite silver-haired sensei is in the clear...but what problems might he have to face in future? He seems set to me...but then again, I know what happens in the end.

Looks like Ino's sick of Shikamaru. It's nice that she set aside all that time for Chouji though, eh?

See you all next chapter!


	10. Otogakure

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
****Slight AU warning.  
****Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!**

Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja triggers a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?

Note: _Italicized lines _often mean thoughts of a character or in some cases dreams. **Bolded lines **often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. _**Bolded italicized lines **_often mean flashbacks.

The Author Speaks: There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information given.There will be limes/_possible _lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes.

Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except all the characters are two years older than before the time-skip in the series (13 is 15, 26 is 28, etc). Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire.

Definitions:  
obaasan – old woman, grandma  
kekkei genkai – bloodline trait  
celerity – quick, readiness, speed

Songs:  
"Numb" by Linkin Park (for Shikamaru)  
"Used To" by Daughtry (for Shikamaru from Ino and Chouji)  
"Miracle" by Cascada  
"Earthquake" by The Used  
"Black Books" by Nils Lofgren  
"Mouth Shut" by The Veronicas  
"You Give Love a Bad Name" by Bon Jovi (for Kurenai)  
"How Do I Feel" by Hoku

**Show Me a Hero**

_**Chapter 10 - Otogakure**_

The early morning was usually dominated by the working class of Konoha. They didn't look much different from everyone else. Most people wore their normal blue dirty jeans and flannel shirts, or somewhat-fancy skirts that worked well with a simple cotton top. There wasn't a need to be dressy at work when it came to Konoha. The simpler everything was the better.

Tsunade had to agree with the philosophy. She didn't like uniforms much either. Rules were nice, but being unoriginal was a little boring. As long as the work got done well, she could care less if people showed up for work in their braziers. Still, when she had been a child forty years ago people weren't as sloppy as they were today. Even fifteen years ago she could figure out who worked where. Now, she would see women in tiny skirts and tight tops head to the meat factory or men with long trench coats standing behind news kiosks.

The air was brisk that morning. The mountains in the far background were splashed with pink shadows and topped with pale green clouds. The forests were wet with early dew dripping crystalline from bursting flora. Tsunade took in the scenery from atop the wall. She could hear the train's whistle. Letting out a yawn, she jumped into the field circling the city, keeping her chakra at a level where she could traverse the wall and the air without painful contact with the ground. The forest stretched out before her. She moved into it. The train station wasn't far away, only about ten minutes. Hopefully everyone would be there; she was a few minutes late getting up anyway.

Eventually she saw the station beyond a clump of trees. The building was small, cubic-shaped and pale grey, like the smoke that poured from the engines. The grass growing around the station was a yellow-green color from the pollution. It was simple and slightly dingy, but the inside of the station was warm and there was a tea parlor and couches.

Much to her dismay, only a few people were there. Team 7 was present—as she expected—and so was Shino and Tsume Inuzuka. Shino was sipping some very strong-smelling tea next to Tsume, who looked irritable. Tsunade could see where Kiba got his usual scowl. Kuromaru was curled up at the end of the sofa, staring at the ground, nose twitching from Shino's tea. Team 7 was playing some form of a western card game.

She cleared her throat and Sakura looked up from her hand. "Hiya Tsunade-san!" she exclaimed, her demeanor unusually active for the morning.

"Hello," Tsunade replied tiredly, immediately heading over to the tea jug and making herself a cup.

"Fifteen minutes past eight," Kakashi read the clock. "And you said I had commitment issues?"

She gave him a look. "Sor-_ry._ I woke up late and ran to Orochim—the Otokage's hotel to bid him goodbye but he already left really early this morning and then I had to run here. I haven't eaten anything but a really cold egg roll. Is this the turnout?" she changed the subject, disappointed. "I'm missing five Gennin. Tsume, did you give the ticket to Kiba?"

"He's not coming," Tsume said pointedly.

"Neither is Hinata? I delivered the ticket personally to her too..." the blonde woman plopped down next to Kakashi and sipped her tea. "I had a feeling Shikamaru Nara wouldn't come, but I would have hoped Ino gave a ticket to Chouji Akimichi. Both of them flaked."

"I went to Ino's, she said she wasn't going," Sakura confirmed.

"But we're here!" Naruto chirped, laying down a card. "We're Chuunin—we can do this without them! Though I was kinda expecting Hinata to come."

Sasuke laid down three threes. "I win."

"What! No way, I put down a nine, we've tied!"

"But we all have the same amount of cards in our hand, and I had a card that equaled to that number and three of that same number that equaled the number of equal hands, therefore I win."

Naruto grumbled as Sakura cheerfully gathered up the cards. "Relax, it's only a game."

"Not after the fifth time I lose! I'm the only one who hasn't beaten him!"

Sasuke smirked. "Your logic lacks, that's why."

"Do you wanna go, bitch?" Naruto jumped up and went into offensive position. "I'll fuck you up."

Tsume growled. "Would you stop yelling? It's too fucking early for your yelling."

Naruto and Sasuke stopped fighting at once, quietly sitting down on the sofa. Kuromaru lifted up his head and shook it in some sort of apology.

"The Yamagata Sector Train will arrive shortly. Please wait by the train boarding area on platform 3," a pleasant female voice spoke from the speakers in the corners of the room.

"That's us," Tsunade stated. She stood up, depositing her teacup on the counter beside her. The sleepy group stood up and stretched a little before following her to platform 3, the furthest end of a large cement area marked with a fading yellow '3'. They made their way to the benches in the loading area.

Naruto looked at the single track with interest. "Only one train runs through here?"

"Yes. The train runs on the single track with its final destination Otogakure. It makes only one other stop, at Mirai, and the people who don't get off there have to get off at Oto. Most people get off at Mirai if they want to go on other trains that branch further into the Land of Red Beans." Tsunade was weaving around everyone, making sure they had their tickets.

"Mirai! That's the town we went to on our first mission!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Oh yeah, I remember. Wasn't it our _only _mission though?" Sakura wondered.

"That's kind of sad, actually," Sasuke murmured.

"We couldn't take any more missions because of Sakura's injury. And Tsunade came at that time and she's the one who's helping Lord Sarutobi. The missions were probably stopped for the Chuunin exams too," Kakashi explained.

The voice on the speakers spoke again. "Yamagata Sector Train is arriving on platform 3. Please stand at boarding area. Destination: Mirai, Otogakure, arrival time at Otogakure: eleven-fifteen."

"Eleven-fifteen?!" the kyuubi boy chimed. "That's well over two hours! Didn't you say the Oto people in the Chuunin exam walked here?"

"They probably ran," Kuromaru said.

Tsunade shook her head. "They didn't. It was a strict, no-chakra walk. They got up six hours earlier. It was pre-exam training, Oro—the Otokage said."

"That's crazy. I like the Otokage and all, but he's psycho sometimes," Naruto muttered.

The older woman couldn't help but smile at his words. "Yeah, he always was a little strange."

They heard a dull roar growing louder from the north, and the lights of the train appeared through the morning air. It rambled along the tracks, moving slower than they expected a train to go.

"It's one of the slower trains," Tsunade said. "They switch trains every few hours. The one we're taking back from Oto moves a lot faster."

Still, Naruto and Sakura were excited to get on the train. It was their first mechanical form of transportation. They couldn't wait to see what the train had to offer them. Sasuke had been on a train before; he didn't really think of them as really special, but the scenery was usually nice. Shino wasn't really thinking about the train. He was just hoping they didn't do a cavity search before boarding. Kuromaru sat upright at Tsume's heels, waiting patiently.

The train pulled up in front of them, the halt screeching and tearing apart their ears. The doors opened with a bang. They loaded the train, Naruto very apprehensive and Sakura afraid she'd somehow fall in between the train and the platform. Sasuke rolled his eyes at his embarrassing friends and followed them inside.

The train wasn't very full. A few passengers sat here and there, staring out their windows with cups of coffee or tea. Kakashi wasn't sure why they were staying on the train if there were only two stops and they passed one, but he decided not to ask. Instead, they gave their tickets to the man in front of a compartment. He pushed the door open. "This would be for you."

Tsunade smiled and bowed. "Thank you sir." She stepped into the compartment. No one followed her but Kuromaru, who strode past her and settled himself on the floor so he wouldn't have to walk on a moving train.

Naruto plopped on the seat nearest to the window. He pressed his face against the glass. "It looks so cool from in here," he chirped.

"Wait until you see it when we start moving." Sasuke flopped onto the seat across his friend. "It's pretty sweet."

"Where are you sitting?" Sakura asked Shino sweetly. The boy was hunched in the corner, staring at the ground from behind his dark glasses.

He shrugged. "I'll stand," not bothering to notice Sakura was meaning to offer the seat next to her. Instead, Tsunade sat there and Tsume moved a seat away from Naruto, lowering her head and falling asleep. Naruto was grateful; Tsume was a scary lady.

The wheels against the track squeaked as they began to turn sluggishly; they rolled through the platform. Naruto and Sakura watched people turning into colorful blurs as the train picked up speed. Soon they were hurtling down the forest at a steady rate. Sasuke took out a book and started reading. Tsunade wanted to strike conversation with Sakura but she was busy gawking at the scenery around her.

"You've never been to Oto before, I forgot."

The pinkette looked at the woman. "Nope. I never thought I'd ever get out of Konoha, much less visit Oto. Funny, my parents love to travel, but they'd never take me with. I guess they thought I wouldn't want to go." She smiled. "I don't have to worry about that now, though! I _need _to stay in Konoha. I have to help." She turned back to the scenery. "For now though, I wanna adventure. Just a little."

Tsunade watched the girl in sort of adoration. She could see a little bit of herself there, thirsting for danger and open roads. But in the end, she ended up back where she started—for one specific reason. Team 7 would be a success. She could just sense it.

**XxXxXx**

Ino strode through the yellow lawns of the Nara farm and stopped at his front door. Knocking on it, her mind burned with disappointment as she heard the familiar buzz of the TV through the door. There was a fumbling sound and Yoshino opened the door, looking downright perplexed that a visitor would come to her house so politely.

"Oh, Ino! Hello," she said in obvious surprise. "I haven't seen you in such a long time; how are you dear?"

"I'm fine," she said with a faint smile, disheartened from seeing the mother's clammy and tired condition.

"I'll get Shikamaru for you." As soon as she said this, Yoshino winced, as if she had said the wrong thing. "I mean...um...one moment. Shikamaru, there's a visitor for you!"

Ino could tell Yoshino didn't want to go through the struggle of calling for her lethargic son. "It's alright, I'll go see him," she said, when Shikamaru didn't reply. With a small bow, she stepped into the house and walked into the living room.

It was very dark, the curtains were closed and no one had bothered to turn on the light. The only light came from the television, blaring some sort of action comedy. Shikamaru was sitting on the ground, barely two feet from the TV, his eyes half-closed and glassy.

"Shikamaru," she said softly.

His gaze switched from the TV to her for a split second. His mouth twitched downwards just a little, and he returned to watching the episode. She could see he was planning to ignore her.

"Shikamaru, hear me out. I need to talk to you about Chouji."

He made a sound a little bit like a laugh and turned the volume higher.

"You hurt Chouji when he needed your help. What kind of a person are you? I know I've ignored what you've been doing to yourself, but I can't look the other way anymore. Say something," she pleaded. When he didn't speak her voice grew louder. "_Please _listen to me. I'm not telling you to hate me any less but for god's sake just hear me out. You need to stop this. Shikamaru!"

He didn't move or even look at her. As her voice grew, so did the volume on his TV. Ino heard his mother feebly asking him to turn it down, and her heart grew heavy with pity and anger. "Don't you hear your mother talking to you? Turn the TV down and let's talk."

He yawned and scratched his head, eyes on the television. Ino's ears were starting to ache from the volume. Her blood suddenly felt like it was burning, boiling hot with power. She felt her control slipping away. "Shikamaru!"

Still no answer.

"Shikamaru, listen to me!" Her hands curled up into fists

He didn't move. All composure gone, she roared angrily. "PAY ATTENTION TO ME!"

She flung her fist forward and her knuckles collided with the television screen. The screen cracked and exploded, and the television short-circuited as her fist went through the screen into the deep wiring of the entertainment box. A horrible burning sensation covered her fist and she screamed in pain. The wires inside sparked with white electricity. It slipped away from her fist and fell over. The crash alerted voices in the kitchen.

"What was that?" Yoshino rushed into the living room, switching on the light. She gazed, horrified, at Ino and her son and the broken TV. Ino was whimpering in pain and Shikamaru's glazed look was now that of extreme anger.

"Get the hell out," he spat at his mother, standing up.

"But—what happened..."

"I SAID GET OUT!"

She yelped and retreated into the front room.

Ino was shaking in pain. The flesh on her hand was sizzling red and black, the burn stretching all over her hand. Her knuckles were charred horribly. The pain was horrible and she was seriously contemplating cutting her hand off to minimize the feeling. Tears ran down her face but she wiped them away with her uninjured hand. The silence was nasty as Shikamaru glared at Ino in complete anger.

"Get the fuck out of my house. How dare you march in here and break my stuff, you stupid bitch," he seethed.

She didn't register his words. "I've been careful my whole life. I've prevented myself from getting hurt whenever possible. If I did get a cut or a scratch I'd make sure it disappeared somehow. I never wanted a scar, I never wanted to be ugly...guess now that I actually _hurt _myself, I wonder why I've been so cautious. It hurts so much...I've never felt pain like this before. Who in their right mind can last through this without wanting to kill themselves?"

"Did you hear me? Get out!" Shikamaru grabbed her shoulder.

She shook his hand away. "Oh and I'm supposed to listen to _you _now? What's the point if you won't hear _me _out? Don't you know how much this _hurts?_" Tears streamed down her cheeks, yet her waterlogged eyes were full of anger. "Can't you get me some ice or bandages or _something? _Is me breaking your TV more drastic than my hand _burning?_"

"You deserve that pain, bitch. I bet it's not even half of what you gave me," he said with some sort of relish in his tone.

"Oh, so this is about getting back at me? Believe me; ignoring me for the rest of life isn't as horrible as you might think. It's what you've been doing to yourself from the day I hurt you that worries me the most. You can hate me all you want but don't you at least have the decency to help me out a little?" Ino didn't want him to try and prove a point now, not with her hand feeling like it was permanently dipped in boiling water.

"Go to hell. It's payback. Karma's a bitch, huh?" He laughed.

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE, THIS ISN'T ABOUT WHAT I DID!" Her patience had already worn down to nothing, and his stubbornness wasn't helping. "You're a horrible person, but you don't have to be. You didn't have to hurt Chouji like that, and you don't have to hurt me like this. Don't you have a heart?"

"You're going to assault me about Chouji now? Look, he barged into my house while I was busy and I didn't need any of his complaining. He's just a whiny fuck. And my _heart_ has nothing to do with this. I don't think with my heart. I don't care about anything or anyone. It's too much of a drag to have people step all over your kindness. 'Friends' end up taking advantage of each other and 'lovers' only exist to satisfy each other's needs. That's all it is. We're all selfish bastards. I'm not selfish because I don't even care what happens to me. That's the problem with you and mom and Chouji. You all think I need to be something and someday I'm going to have my ass handed to me on a platter. Well, here's the thing. I don't _care._ Going through life is a lot easier if you're not weighed down by commitment or goals. I'm drifting by fine. Notice that the last four years of my life have been the best for me. I haven't had to exert myself and think about anyone else. I'm still here. You act like I'm gonna die or something." Shikamaru pushed Ino away from him. "I don't need you preaching how I should live my life. I'm doing a hell of a lot better than you. I don't risk getting syphilis or any other shit like that like you. I don't offer my dick to any stranger who wants a fuck and I don't write it off as 'having a job'. It's just an excuse to have your pussy feel good all the time. Remember, the ones who fucked you used to be me only. Not even that is worth anything to me. I got nothing from being with you, just a lot of heartache—another reason why no one should listen to their heart."

"If I recall, the times you spent with me were the happiest of your life! It's now that's destroying you! Even if you don't care about yourself, it's wrecking everything around you! You used to feel happiness. I haven't seen you smile in four years. Don't you want to be happy again?" She wiped the tears from her face, the pain of her hand starting to subside.

"I am happy," he said bluntly.

"...You really think that, don't you?" Ino shook her head. "I miss the old you. Don't you know what you just told me? That was like the old you."

_

* * *

_

You used to talk to me like  
I was the only one around.

* * *

_**Ino yawned and leaned her head against Shikamaru's shoulder. "What do you mean, they threw the rice balls away? They wouldn't waste food like that."**_

"_**I'm telling you, they did. I saw it. I guess they aren't as unsanitary as I thought," the eleven-year old boy replied.**_

"_**Nara, Yamanaka—we're in the middle of class! If you want to converse save it for recess!" their teacher barked.**_

* * *

You used to lean on me like  
The only other choice was falling down.

* * *

_**They sat outside Nara's farm, watching the deer lazily pick at the freshly-watered grass. Shikamaru's head was reclined against Ino's shoulder. His eyes were droopy.**_

"_**You falling asleep?" Ino asked, petting his head.**_

"_**Uhuh." He rolled his head back a little and fell backwards, hitting the back porch. "Damnit!"**_

_**She laughed. "My shoulders aren't that huge, believe it or not."**_

* * *

_You used to walk with me like  
We had no where we needed to go  
Nice and slow,  
To no place in particular._

* * *

_**The sun was lazy that day. It preferred to sleep on a bed of clouds than shine for everyone working outdoors that day. Shikamaru and Ino were holding hands as they trotted down the gravel path.**_

"_**Where are we going exactly? I'm kinda hungry," Ino piped, her short blonde hair blowing gently in the cool breeze.**_

"_**I dunno..." he said unenthusiastically. "Let's just pick a stop along the way."**_

_**They walked together for about ten minutes, talking, until Ino pointed at a sweets shop coming up. "Let's go there!" she exclaimed.**_

"_**Amaguriama," he read the sign. "You want to eat candy for lunch?"**_

"_**Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaassssssseeeeeeeee?"**_

_**He couldn't say no to her big blue eyes. "Alright, but you should actually eat something other than candy."**_

"_**Fine, dad."**_

"_**Shut up!" he laughed as they stepped up to the counter.**_

* * *

_We used to have this figured out  
We used to breathe without a doubt.  
When nights were clear,  
You were the first star that I'd see._

* * *

"_**It's really late," Ino commented, lying on her back next to Shikamaru. She was counting the stars dotting the inky sky. "Do you like the night?"**_

_**He shrugged. "It's not a big drag, really, but I prefer daytime."**_

"_**Why?"**_

"_**Because of the clouds. Clouds drift through life at their own pace and nothing can dictate where they go, they do what they want. Stars don't move. Clouds may be lazy but they cover the sun, or cause rain. Stars just...look pretty. They're too lazy, I think."**_

"_**You're so smart," Ino sighed. "Why do you even bother with a simple girl like me?"**_

_**He rolled over and swung his arm around her, lying on her top half, smiling. "Because I love you. Don't be such a drag." He kissed her lightly. "And between the stars and the clouds, I'd pick you over everything."**_

* * *

_We used to have this under control.  
We never thought, we used to know  
At least there's you  
And at least there's me._

_

* * *

_Thinking back on those wonderful times made the blonde cry, not out of the pain from her burn, but from the pain of remembering the day when Shikamaru used to be a tender, affectionate boy who was the one dream in her life that she never wanted to end. Bitterness erupted over her; why had she gone and screwed up the one thing that she thought would carry her through life, comfortable and secure? 

She had gone to his house to ask him to reconsider his life, but she was too connected to his misery to be able to affect him. If there was any hope for him, she wouldn't be able to give it to him. As much as she wanted to help, he was hopeless for her and Chouji too. She didn't know who to campaign to, and she wasn't sure there was anyone out there who could help him.

* * *

_Can we get this back?  
Can we get this back to how it used to be?_

* * *

"_**I can't make any more moves..." Ino sighed. "Darnit, you got me in a rut! I lose. You said you'd go easy on me!"**_

"_**I did. I dropped my skill level to below half of what it is and I tried not to calculate your moves ten moves in advance," Shikamaru noted. "Maybe shogi just isn't your game."**_

"_**Maybe you're a cheater for being so smart," she huffed.**_

"_**Aw come on. Is our relationship ruined over a single shogi game?" Shikamaru asked.**_

"_**Well calculate what I'm gonna do in the next five minutes," Ino challenged.**_

"_**Well..." he pretended to think hard. "You're gonna tease me about being so smart and that I'm a geek. You're gonna tell me that your dad says I'm gonna be some sort of genius professor and I'm gonna make millions and that's always a good quality to have in a boyfriend."**_

_**Her mouth dropped open in awe. "You read my mind! Uwaahhhh you're such a..."**_

"_**Such a what?" he asked.**_

_**She giggled and launched himself over the shogi board into his unsuspecting person. He gasped and fell over and she squirmed her way on top of him, hugging him.**_

The laughing, genius, young man she thought she loved was no longer alive. Instead there was a cynical, numb monster that had taken Shikamaru's place. Why had it taken four years for her to realize he was beyond hope?

It would've saved her four years of heartache.

**XxXxXx**

Kurenai swung her arms lazily, yawning. She had a bad habit of waking up early if she partied all night, but a breakfast of whole oat cereal and a few glasses of wine usually kept her from dropping in the street. Today she was headed for Asuma's house. The spat they had gotten into yesterday had ended on an ugly note, and she wanted to mend whatever wounds she had caused. Sure, he had said most of the hurting words, but men tended to let their emotions fly when it came to anger. It was lonely in the house when he wasn't over to distract her.

She didn't know what love was. If the sex was great and the guy was a good talker she'd go for it. Many guys she had flings with all fit that mold, but she couldn't help but think something was missing.

It was always the guys who broke it off, too. She believed that the fault was her own but she couldn't think of what it was. She considered herself a sexy person with an open personality. What was wrong with that?

Asuma's house sat near Koyama Grocer's, a tiny two-story house with a somewhat-neat lawn that was about the size of two cardboard boxers. Kurenai could always see what he was doing in his sitting room through his very exposed front window. As expected, he was displayed right in front of her, smoking and talking to someone.

She stared when the other person came into view. It was Anko, also smoking and laughing at something he said. She was holding a sandwich in one hand, a turkey one absolutely dripping with soy sauce and the crimson-eyed woman's insides burned with jealousy. That was Asuma's signature sandwich and he only ever made it for her or his nephew Konohamaru.

At first, she didn't know what to do. Anko had been listening to their fight yesterday, she knew that. Had the hussy jumped on Asuma as soon as she left? She never liked Anko anyway. She was too flirtatious and never gave anything for it. It was needless teasing. Kurenai thought it cruel to show off and not let anyone touch. Women weren't fragile; they could take a kiss...or a finger or two.

Annoyed, she decided to bust in on their party. Perhaps Anko had finally let loose on Asuma, her darling. _Stupid bitch should've realized he wasn't leaving me,_ she thought acidly. She primped her hair a little and walked to the front door.

He answered the door a few seconds after her knocked on it. Asuma's smile faltered when he saw her. "Kurenai?"

"Hello Asuma," she said cheerily, pretending that Anko wasn't in the other room. "I was thinking we could go eat lunch together today?"

"I..." he sounded extremely awkward. "I already ate lunch."

"Well then let's go for a walk. I think we should talk about our little argument yesterday." She tried to sound sincere while propping her boobs up a little.

His gaze snapped down for a moment. He sighed. "You just don't get it," he murmured.

Immediately, Kurenai didn't like where the conversation was heading. "Get what? I'm sorry I slapped you, and I forgive you for calling me all those nasty things. Let's put it behind us, alright?"

He stared at her like she was asking him to forgive her for stabbing him. "_You _forgive _me? _Kurenai, you're the one who should be sorry! Do you think I'm going to date someone who will constantly cheat on me? I don't think so!"

Her heart sank. "W-What do you mean?" This wasn't how it was supposed to be. "But...don't you get why I—"

"No! I don't get why you have to throw yourself to any guy who wants a piece of ass!" Asuma shouted. "Commitment means dedication to something, genius! You're dedicated to me! There are no _side courses_. Look, I like you a lot, but I can't be in a cheating relationship. I don't want anyone else touching you. If you're gonna be like that then you can have all the guys you want—but I'm not gonna be one of them. I'm not adding to the score."

Sadness misted over Kurenai slowly. Tears began to spill over her freshly-curled eyelashes. He was ending their relationship. He was breaking up with her. With _her._ Again, another guy leaves her in the dust. But this time felt so much different. She had high hopes with Asuma. There was no one she enjoyed kissing more, no one like him in her eyes. Was that love? Maybe it was. Was there no point in thinking about it anymore, now that even if it _was _love it would never be in Asuma's eyes?

"Is everything alright?" Anko called from the other room, walking in without the sandwich, looking at the crying Kurenai.

The teacher's mood switched from misery to anger in a moment's flash. With a loud growl she ran at Anko. It was _her _fault. Asuma thought Anko acted better than her. Anko stole him away. "You stole him, you whore!"

Surprised but unflinching, Anko stopped Kurenai with a blast of chakra that reversed the raven-haired woman's attack. Colliding with her floor painfully but not faltering, she leapt once again at the proctor, aiming a punch at her face. Asuma yelled in protest but Anko merely frowned and moved her head, grabbing Kurenai's upper arm and slamming her down on the floor right in front of her.

Lavender eyes peered down unpitying. "I'm not the whore here," she said, completely brushing the assault aside. "It's you. You don't get that fact, do you? I didn't steal Asuma. I'm his friend, here to give him a little comfort. You know he felt bad for saying all those things yesterday, even if they were true? Even if I didn't come along he'd have still dumped your cheating ass. The problem may be what you do but his decision has to do with his feelings. And you dare forgive him for telling the truth? He doesn't want to date a slut like you but that doesn't mean he still wouldn't keep you as a friend. Apparently though you don't think you can stay friends with a guy without giving them a little pussy, huh?"

Salty tears dripped down Kurenai's chin. "I want Asuma. You c-can't have him. Leave h-him alone, h-he's for me only..."

Anko rolled her eyes. "Stop acting like a selfish bitch! You're an adult! He's not a toy, he's a human being and you can't go around and 'play' with other dolls when you get bored with him! There are no favorites in love—there's only one and you don't get anybody else!"

Asuma hoped Kurenai didn't attack again, but he was sincerely surprised with Anko's argument. If there was one person who acted like Kurenai, it was her. Then again, Anko displayed a level of maturity the other woman didn't seem to have.

He ached when he saw the misery of Kurenai's situation but there was also a little cruelty lashing out from the back of his mind—she deserved this. No one reprimanded her for her actions. She was a spoiled child, and for the first time she was finally having to take responsibility for her actions.

"Please," he spoke quietly. "Please leave, Kurenai. I don't want to see you like this."

She sat there in silence. "N-No! Please give me a second chance, Asuma, I can't live without you!"

The words panged, still, he couldn't help but think that perhaps this was the same pleading she gave to every other man she had been with. She had become so much of a loose woman that he couldn't detect her sincerity.

"Leave!" His command was loud but gentle.

Anko crossed her arms and burned holes into her with her sharp glare. Kurenai gave up and stood up. "...Asuma..."

"I don't want to hear it."

A fresh wave of tears blurred her vision. She wanted to throw her arms around him and hold him close like the fight yesterday had never happened. She wanted to listen to him talk, about anything. She didn't care as long as she could be with him. She couldn't see herself as his friend. It was too painful to have to sit next to him without his touch available.

Anko judged Kurenai's face, and her inhospitable demeanor faltered. There was something about the teacher's expression that she couldn't help but feel uneasy about. She decided not to speak, and instead let Asuma coax her out of the house.

The teacher finally left, but the awkwardness lingered. Anko's attention darted to Asuma and he silently tottered into the sitting room and sunk into an armchair.

"You did the right thing," was all she could say to him. He looked regretful.

"I...I know." He thought he knew. But he couldn't be sure.

**XxXxXx**

Naruto's house was completely empty. Hinata's hopes fell, and she left the bundle of chocolate sweets on his kitchen counter. She knew she shouldn't be in his house, especially because he wasn't home, but he had left the door unlocked and she was feeling dangerous that day. After all, it was the house of her love.

Walking around his kitchen, she checked his fridge. It had all the usual items—milk, eggs, butter, juice, soda, veggies, fruit, and other assorted goods. His cupboards were filled with ramen cups and baking products. He had no glass dishes other than glasses. She had a sneaking suspicion he didn't like washing dishes. The oven had a sticky pan in it, and smelled like cinnamon. She smiled as she thought of Naruto baking something, wearing a little apron, slightly sweaty from the heat of the oven, swirling his finger in a batter and tasting it with his delicious-looking lips.

Next to the kitchen was the living room. A small TV was sitting on a cheap-looking stand. The remote and a knitted blanket were the residents of the little couch he had. A fish tank sat in the corner, a few black-and-yellow fish floating lazily in the water amongst plastic seaweed. The clock hanging over the TV read ten-thirty. The coffee table between the couch and TV was littered with empty ramen cups and magazines; Hinata blushed when she found one of them to be a porn magazine, but the others were political and leadership-based.

She moved onto Naruto's bedroom. This was what she really wanted to see.

The room was messy as expected. His bed was unmade with orange sheets spilling onto the floor that was covered with books, CDs, and videogame cartridges. Posters lined his walls, a few of his favorite bands and others of people he respected, people Hinata had never heard of but looked like respected political figures. A portrait of the Otokage hung opposite his bed. A lamp rested on the stand beside his bed, along with a picture of him with his team. Kakashi-sensei was standing to the side, his eyes smiling, next to a grinning Sakura. Sasuke was slightly behind her towards the middle of the frame, his arms crossed with a small smile, more of a smirk really. Naruto was beaming next to Sasuke, his mouth turned into a huge grin with all his teeth showing, his face shining with happiness. It made Hinata content.

She thought for a moment, before sitting on his bed. She could feel the depression of the mattress where he slept. Lying down for a moment, she could almost smell him on the sheets. She closed her eyes and let herself drift off, before snapping up and careening off the bed.

_I'm acting like a stalker, _Hinata thought. _I just came here to give Naruto some sweets. He's not even here, I should leave._

But she didn't want to leave. She wanted to hang around his house until he came home, where she would greet him with the chocolates. It was be like she was his wife.

They hadn't spent much time together since Team 7's first mission. She missed looking forward to seeing him all day, sitting outside a shop and drinking some sort of smoothie while watching people go by.

She decided it would be best to wait for him to return for Oto. If only she hadn't overslept, she would be sitting next to Naruto right now.

Hinata left his house, closing the door behind her and walking down to the street. To her faint surprise, she saw Kiba waiting by the streetlight near Naruto's mailbox. She didn't want to bother with him today. "Oh, h-hello Kiba."

"What're you doing in Naruto's house for?" he asked.

"I was...I was seeing if he was home." Not feeling up for a fight, she began her journey home. Much to her dismay, Kiba followed her. In order to not seem unapproachable, she tried to make small talk. "I thought you would be on the train to Konoha."

"Hah, that's a funny one," he said sarcastically. He had seen the ticket on the kitchen table at home, right next to his mother's. If he was going to be stuck on a train with his demonic mom all day he would have rather killed himself. "Why aren't _you _there? I'd think you would be snuggling next to _Naruto-kun_," he said with an acidic impression of his girlfriend.

"Kiba, I don't want to t-talk about this now. I-I'm going home, please leave me alone for today," Hinata said bravely.

He growled and cut her off in front of her. "Is there something you want to say to me?"

This was exactly what she had been trying to avoid. "Please, there's nothing."

"Oh really? Seems to me like you've been following Naruto around everywhere these days. I thought you gave up on dating that lump, but suddenly after he's become a ninja you suddenly have wet dreams about him again?" He wasn't sure why this bothered him all of a sudden. The dog-boy had always known of Hinata's fascination with Naruto. He had been thoroughly surprised when he had asked her out, and she accepted.

Their relationship had always been casual. Kiba didn't think about marriage ever and he was sure Hinata would never marry him anyway. No, in a way their relationship could be defined as a frustration-reliever, with all of Kiba's pent-up anger and Hinata's lust for someone's touch.

As time went on, Kiba grew defensive of Hinata, even though she angered him all the time. The thought of her with another man made him want to rip something limb-from-limb. It might have been a matter of possession, not tender passion, but either way it wasn't a good thing for her male friends.

Naruto used to be a puny, annoying guy. Kiba felt no remorse in poking fun at him. Kiba had been a strong, muscular, boy who could snap Naruto like a twig.

But now Naruto was a defined ninja, skilled with weapons and strategic fighting. He was a threat to Kiba, who had always thought that Hinata would forget about the blonde once she saw his brute strength.

Problem was, now his strength was clumsy and barbaric compared to Naruto's keen technique. _Artsy bastard,_ he thought.

Hinata looked affronted by his choice of words. "I do not have wet dreams! Why do you have to bother me today?"

"Hey, I'm the one asking questions! Are you gonna break up with me?" Kiba barked without thinking.

Hinata's mouth filled with a gasp. He had never, _ever _brought up that situation before. He never actually talked about their relationship. To be truthful, Hinata had never thought about it either. She did, to escape his outbursts and overall arrogant attitude. There was something that did keep her attracted to him, other than his looks. It was his desperation to impress her. She was afraid to end it. Kiba might kill her in outrage, or even worse, Naruto.

"N-No, of course not," she said with a strained smile. "I-I'm just a little off-put today."

This wasn't what Kiba had expected to here. It filled him with a strange, happy sensation. He grinned unknowingly. He thought he'd walk away from this alone, and then he'd have to go beat the shit outta Naruto for stealing his girl. Was there something in his life that _wasn't _going terribly wrong for once?

His expression softened. "Wanna go get some breakfast?"

"I-I um...sure," Hinata said, despite having eaten before she left.

"Great! I know a place that makes the best bacon I've ever tasted." He started walking, and she followed. "You know I thought I was gonna be alone all day, but finally I got something to do. Hana wouldn't wanna hang with me and Tobo was busy at the lumberyard and all. Let's go skating later, I gotta show you my wicked moves."

She'd nearly forgotten about his skating habits—he normally didn't let her into the skating park because of all the rowdy guys. He was well-known at the park but that didn't mean everyone respected him.

"I'd like to...um...go," she said. "I can't skate, though."

"I know!" he said with a laugh. "Don't worry about it, you can hang around and watch. Or you could try roller blades." Bringing a girl to the skate park was a sort of show-off move.

Hinata could barely believe that he had switched aggression to cheerfulness so quickly, just with a few words that weren't even reinforced. Was he so desperate to stay away from his mother that he would continue in a relationship for the sake of having someone to be with? So she and Kiba really were the same after all. She preferred staying out of the house and away from Neji's constant complaining.

They found the breakfast house. _At least I'm getting free food out of this, _Hinata thought somberly.

**XxXxXx**

The piercing sound of the train slowing down sounded outside everyone's windows. Sakura gently shook Naruto awake. "We're here," she whispered.

His bright blue eyes opened lazily. He yawned. "Already?" He looked out at the puffy clouds floating in the big blue sky. "Wait, it's eleven-fifteen?"

"You fell asleep, dobe." Sasuke pointed to the clock above them, reading the exact time mentioned.

It took everyone a minute to orientate themselves. Tsunade directed everyone outside the compartment to the train's automatic doors. Kakashi eyed the stragglers on the main part of the train who weren't getting off, still confused as to why they were here in the first place. There was a whistling sound and the doors slid open, the intensity of the sun blinding Naruto.

They hopped onto the platform, noticeably a lot cleaner than the one outside Konoha. There was a small amount of graffiti on the rail track, along with candy wrappers, but the glass stations where people chose to sit were sparkling clean, advertisements posted everywhere on the sunny platform. A huge amount of people boarded the train, most carrying briefcases but some carrying scrolls. The businessmen were clad in crisp suit-and tie combinations most likely fashioned by the famous Oto designer companies Ichiro & Sun, Strawberry Republic and Yutaka Irving. The women went for a more tight-fitting, yet formal approach with their nice knee skirts and button-up blouses. Kids ran around the platform on the opposite end of the track, where another train was running. Behind that platform was another set with two opposite tracks.

"This train station is _huge,_" Naruto breathed. "Where do we go?"

"To the exit building," Tsunade pointed to a brick building sitting at the end of the extremely long platform.

They headed there, showed their two-way tickets, and piled outside the station. They were strangely high up, with grand stone steps spilling out onto the street below them. It was then they realized they were standing high up in the city, with a perfect view of their surroundings.

Neat little brick buildings lined the clean streets of the city. Signs directed people to areas of interest and business around the area. Cherry blossom trees were planted at every street corner, swaying gracefully in the breeze, and flowers and shrubs adorned the fronts of especially large edifices. Down the block, flower venders were standing with their gleaming silken carts and selling their wonderful ikebana to passerby; fruit stands also spilled into the street, plump fruits arranged neatly for easy pick-up.

Beyond the smaller buildings, traveling left in the city were rolling farms. They couldn't give a name to what was growing in the fields, but the crops were high and healthy.

They must have been at the edge of Oto, because in the background there were skyscrapers, awesome works of architect ranging from sleek, black stone to polished wood. The train tracks wove around buildings on capable, inventive bridges with no support beams, surely staying up by ninjutsu. If one were to ride the train around the skyscrapers, one would feel like they were flying. At some point while eyes traveled to the center of the city, the buildings became gigantic trees of all variations, pointing out where the central park was.

It was by far the most marvelous thing any one of them had ever seen. If someone had to find the paradise lost in legend, they need only to come to Oto.

"It's so beautiful," Sakura said, awed.

"Yup," Sasuke agreed.

There was nothing Naruto could say that he thought could describe the wholesome magnificence that was Oto. He didn't even want to say anything, afraid that if he put words to its splendor he would be saying nothing less than an insult. Instead, he decided to ask a question. "Where are we headed?"

"You see those trees towards the middle of the city?" Tsunade pointed at the swaying green. "That's the cultural district; the grand library's there, and the Otokage's castle, and the ninja academy. We'll take a taxi there."

They walked down the steps, slowly descending to the sidewalks which, surprisingly, weren't crowded. Clean-cut men and women hurried amongst teenagers and ninja. A few friends were giggling together, their outfits Sakura would die for. Kakashi noted the weaponry the ninja had safely secure on their backs, wondering if any of that equipment was somewhere within Konoha storages.

Tsunade located a taxi and they all piled into the cart on the back. She paid and gave directions; the bull set off with a little tap from the driver and soon they were rolling past scenery at a nice pace.

"It'll take about forty-five minutes," she said. "We'll get plenty of sight-seeing done."

"That's all? It feels like it should take hours," Naruto said.

"Oto's not much bigger than Konoha, really. It just seems that way because of all the different aspects to its architecture, but Sunagakure's much bigger than Oto. Actually, Suna used to be the most powerful hidden village, especially in military power. Around a hundred-fifty years ago, Oto was just a normal hidden village. Suna decided to launch a surprise attack against Iwagakure, who they had been feuding with for a while, but the Oto lord caught wind of the assault and sent his forces to attack a defenseless Suna. The Suna army had to turn back to defend their city, but Oto had already informed Iwa of the premeditated assault and Suna was at the bane of both Iwa and Oto's will. Suna signed a peace treaty with Iwa and Oto was recognized as a hidden village. Its prosperity grew and soon it became the Otogakure we know today." Tsunade cracked her knuckles and lay back in the cart.

"A nice history lesson to pass the time," Sasuke said. He watched restaurants go by, mouth watering at a sign reading 'Tomato curry chowder, new recipe!'.

"That's also how Suna lost its place as the most powerful hidden village in the world. Though, The Land of Fire isn't the most powerful country, but that's because of one problem." Tsunade immediately paused. She didn't mean to say it like that, but everyone's faces had already turned sour.

"Us," Sakura muttered.

The cart remained silent for a few minutes. Finally, Naruto decided to break the tension. "Come on, don't put frowns on our faces!"

"Well," the woman began cautiously, "We'll be getting to the city soon. There's a lot to see there."

"This place is so cool," Naruto piped. "I love it so much. I wish I could live here," he sighed happily.

Sasuke glared at his friend. "Why?"

Naruto blinked in confusion. "Cuz it's awesome! Have you ever seen so much shit in one city before?"

"What about Konoha?" the raven-haired boy defended.

"Relax!" Sakura piped. "Naruto didn't mean anything by it."

"Stop arguing," Tsume snapped, and they quieted immediately.

They crawled closer and closer to the business district, until it was suddenly upon them without warning. They were riding down the streets past gargantuan buildings, the sidewalks teeming with people, ninja and civilian alike.

"Look! Ichiro & Sun!" Naruto pointed at the men's clothing chain.

There was a nice shirt and khakis-combination that Kakashi liked. The price read thirty thousand ryo. He sighed and looked away, instead focusing on the ninja. The older ones wore uniforms consisting of a black shirt worn under a small purple compartment vest that barely grazed their lower chest; around their lower abdomen there were several belts storing scrolls and thin weapons in them, instead of the kunai pouch/shuriken holster that Konoha-nin wore around their thighs. They wore black pants that went down to their knees, with the Oto symbol, a song note, splashed across the left hip and a patch on their breast showing their rank. Chain mail and protective bandages were wrapped from under their knees to their foot, and their open-toed shoes were also black. It seemed the Otokage didn't mind them personalizing their outfits a bit; one man wore gloves with spikes attached to the knuckles and a woman wore no black shirt under her vest, instead she wore chain mail only, and she wore a necklace with a scroll hanging off it.

Kakashi looked at himself, in his baggy pants and grey shirt. _We could really use some uniforms ourselves._

Two female ninja, probably Gennin, paused and stared at the cart. They pointed at their Konoha headbands, babbling excitedly.

"Yakushi Hospital!" The pinkette exclaimed. "Kabuto works there, doesn't he?"

"It's named after him, so I'd assume he probably runs it," Tsunade guessed.

"I hope he's with to Otokage," she sighed. "I've been dying to ask him so many things. I read up on him after I met him, and he's simply _amazing_."

Sasuke scowled, but didn't say anything. People on the street noticed his glare and were affronted when he gazed upon them with the same look.

"He is," the blonde woman agreed. When she had been his age she hadn't known half of what he did. Even now, he could easily outmatch her in a battle of medical wits. It was irritating to think a man thirty years her junior could be so much smarter than her. She hoped Sakura's interest in medicine didn't allocate her to Otogakure; Tsunade had been fond of the thought of teaching the girl herself.

"The people here don't seem as pretentious as the ones at the exam," Kakashi said.

"The ones at the exam always have big heads. You just gotta kick their ass and they'll shut up," Tsume muttered.

Shino was tapping the side of the cart eccentrically. Sasuke eyed him. "Would you stop?"

"...No." He was acting awfully jumpy.

"...Fine." The Uchiha shrugged it off and listened to Naruto exclaim something about everyplace they passed.

The taxi turned down a street where smaller buildings lined the street. The business district was ending, and the residential area of the district came into view, with apartment buildings and houses dappled around clothing and grocery stores.

Suddenly, all buildings disappeared behind them and they were traveling in between huge, lush open meadows teeming with flora and vegetation. The train tracks weaved above the meadows into a sort of forested haven. The buildings had become smaller and oriental, the roads shadowed by trees or open to the sun and the cherry blossom-kissed air.

"It's like a huge park," Naruto said, looking around, eyes on a cultural museum.

"The grand library's in here," Tsunade affirmed.

"Otogakure is so...so _cool. _It's like a technological whirlpool," Sakura moaned.

The library came into sight, a beautiful wooden building with golden hangings.

"Ah, hello!" Standing in front of it, surrounded by not his guards, but by boxes, was the Otokage himself, in a black leather jacket with a long-sleeved black polo, the color unbuttoned and showing his chest a little. Tight blue jeans clung to him, and his midnight black hair spilled over his shoulders.

A day over thirty didn't cut it for a greeting this time. He couldn't have possible been older than twenty.

Tsunade grew crimson and avoided his welcoming gaze while they sauntered up to greet him. Although she was heading the group, she wished someone would take her place. When no one spoke as they came within conversing distance of him, she was forced to look at him.

"Hello," she said lamely, ogling his extremely handsome figure.

He beamed. "You've come just in time, a perfect example of dedication. Naruto, I'm glad to see you here, very glad. Weren't there supposed to be twelve of you, however?"

"Yeah, me too," Tsunade grumbled.

"Oh well! No use in fretting over it. They'll pay for it in the end. Procrastination begets inexperience!" he chimed cheerfully.

"What are we doing?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"These books are going to the shipyard to be distributed around the Land. They're pretty full up, the boxes, so it's not going to be a simple task. How will you be assisting? Should I get you a pedestal for your back?" He asked Kuromaru.

"I do not need one, thank you," the deep-voiced wolf said.

"After the shipments have been stored, you'll be able to take your own boxes back with you on the train. You needed it for the hospital and the library, correct?"

"Yes. I'm going to start a class. The ones who pass will be sent to Oto to take the official exam at Yakushi," Tsunade said.

"Sounds great! We'll be happy to have you," Orochimaru spoke.

Sakura was looking around the area, seeing no one but themselves around. "O-Otokage-sama?" she acknowledged quietly.

He turned his olive eyes upon her small form. "Yes?"

"Where is Yakushi-san?" she asked.

"Kabuto is at the shipyard. He's overseeing the shipments; after all, he did write the books that are being shipped out. Most of them, at least. There are always rogue ninja that wish to make my job harder, especially when regular civilians can be easily overpowered." Orochimaru sighed. "Being Otokage is not easy! But don't let that discourage you," he added sincerely, "because I was a young ninja like you all once; as was Tsunade! Look at us now—strong, and still attractive, if I do say so myself. Fifty-three years have done nothing to repress our vigor!"

Team 7 stared. Even Shino looked vaguely interested by this piece of news. "You're over _fifty_?" Naruto gaped.

"We are. Some people argue my age affect my judgment, but I believe with age comes invaluable experience. Why do you think Lord Sarutobi was an ineffective ruler when he began his reign over Konoha? A mere twenty-one year old man with no leadership experience would make a good ruler." Orochimaru picked up a box. "We're delaying this project; we can talk and walk at the same time, I hope. Well, carry on!"

They all took boxes accordingly, Naruto trying to match Sasuke's five but finally giving up and taking four. Sakura helped Kuromaru balance three on his back and took three for herself. Kakashi took five, and Tsume surprisingly held six. Shino took three, and Orochimaru took the final eight.

"Onward!" he cried, and they began moving past the library. They walked down a nature trail. "Walking is a very healthy form of training and exercise. It might seem lazier than running but it's more helpful to some. When weights are involved, it's even more strenuous. I'm no taijutsu master, but I believe nice brisk walks each morning help the body tremendously."

"These are heavy," Naruto said.

"Can't handle it?" Sasuke asked, smirking.

"Y-Yes I can!" He gripped tighter to his boxes. "Otokage-sensei, did you ever teach classes at the Konoha academy?"

"I did. I taught ninjutsu combinations for a while and I was a team leader for a few years. I didn't teach long before I went to Oto." Orochimaru smiled. "What about you Naruto? What are you most interested in learning?"

"Uhhh...well, I really think summoning is cool, but they had no summoning teachers at the academy. You can summon things, right?"

The man nodded. "I can, yes. Snakes, normally. If you ever have problems when you decide to learn summoning, you can ask me. I've perfected many ways to learn it, depending on the animal. Tsunade can summon too, and I'm sure Kakashi-san can too."

Tsunade and Kakashi both looked up from their books. They exchanged glances. "How did you know that?" Kakashi asked.

The blond boy whipped around to face his teacher, the boxes teetering dangerously. "You _can?! _Really!"

"Be careful," Kakashi warned as he watched the boxes. "And yes, I can."

The others looked vaguely interested. "Really?" Sasuke asked. "You never told us that, sensei."

"I can summon dogs," the teacher said. "I haven't summoned them in a while, so I don't know if my pact with them is still valid."

"They'll remember you if you call," Orochimaru spoke. "As long as you were good to them. I remember Jiraiya always got into arguments with his summons, but they still were faithful to him. Remember, Tsunade?"

She smiled as nostalgia set upon her. "Yeah, Katsuyu got real pissed when Jiraiya tried to take her instead of Gamabunta."

"And Sarutobi-sensei nearly lost an arm. He made Jiraiya do three-hundred push ups for that."

They were laughing hard, tears coming to Tsunade's eyes. She hadn't thought of the good old days much before she was reunited with her teammate. Now that they were sharing memories, she wondered why she didn't want to think about it all.

They quieted, the others behind them watching them in interested. Tsunade sighed happily. "Seems like the past was a lot more fun than it was."

"What do you mean? There were many moments that made us all smile. The hard times are fresh in our memories, but there's no point in lingering on the bad thoughts, because then you downplay your life." Orochimaru hitched the boxes up.

"You can't forget the bad times, though." She flexed a muscle as she moved her boxes around, trying to sort them by weight in her arms.

He shook his head. "I know. If we do, then mistakes will be repeated."

The others trailed behind them, watching them exchange words. Sakura smiled at Tsunade and Orochimaru's natural happiness. She tried to imagine the two older shinobi as teenagers; joking around, fighting side-by-side, being at each other's bedsides at the hospital, eating lunch together, witnessing fellow shinobi die...being there for each other. And in the end they went their own separate ways, only being reunited a few days ago.

She looked at Naruto and Sasuke. Her lip trembled at the thought of never seeing them again. Deep down, she hoped they would always surround her with their bickering for her entire life. And Kakashi-sensei, he had been at her side in a second when she was hurt. It touched her deeply, how these three people had grown from strangers to close friends in only three months. It had taken two years to really become Ino's best friend, and Kiba, whom she had known ever since kindergarten was still only her acquaintance.

Sasuke felt her emerald orbs on him. He stared back. "Yes?"

She looked away promptly. "Nothing. Just wondering if there was anything you wanted to ask the Otokage."

Orochimaru heard his title spoken and turned his head. Sasuke's puzzled look turned into irritation. "I dunno. Maybe how he became Otokage in the first place."

"You wish to know, Sasuke Uchiha? I'll be happy to tell." Orochimaru cleared his throat. "Thirty years ago, I left Konohagakure for Otogakure to further my education. About three years before I left, Sarutobi-sensei had stopped the exportation of a vast majority of goods because of a deficit in funding that caused a decline in factory performance which in turn caused a major underproduction of goods. Because of this, not only did we lose money from exportation, but repairing the factories cost much more and people were being paid less. Many teachers left their jobs and I, at the age of twenty-three, was still attempting to learn all that I could. Going to Otogakure was my best option; but I was also searching for a way to help my ex-sensei, and Konoha in the long run. The Third Otokage was a very strong leader, but he was an ailing man who wanted to retire peacefully. Not to be brash, but I am a very smart person and easily worked my way through my studies and managed to secure a meeting with him. He took a liking to me, and I became his apprentice, and then afterwards his choice for the Fourth Otokage. I officially became Otokage twenty-two years ago, and I finally was in a position where I could help Konoha. Unfortunately, with the power I had I was also expected to help other villages as well as my own and Konoha, so I could not do as much as I had liked."

Naruto was listening to him intently. He remained quiet for many moments after Orochimaru stopped talking. The bounce in his step went down. "Uuhh...is that it?"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "Yes."

"That's...but...I thought it would be...well..." he fidgeted, "more exciting."

The Otokage broke out into laughter. "You would think that, but in truth there really isn't anything exciting about getting up to the top. Once you're leading Konoha you'll realize it wasn't a very action-packed tale."

Naruto blushed. "The leader of Konoha," he mumbled to himself, lips breaking out into a grin. "Yeah! Let's do it!" He began to walk at a faster pace. "We'd better hurry up to the shipyard you slowpokes! Come on Tsunade-obaasan!"

Tsunade's eye twitched. "Obaasan?! NARUTO YOU LITTLE PUNK!" she screamed, chasing after him as he took off laughing, the boxes shaking dangerously as he held them carelessly.

"I hate kids," Tsume muttered. Kuromaru trotted next to her.

"Hey, come on you two," Kakashi said worriedly. "Naruto, stop jumping around!"

A box slipped off of the stack in the Jinchuuriki's hand. Sakura gasped, but she was the only one to notice. Orochimaru had somehow gone from walking behind the two fighters to leading the crew, an extra box in his tow and one missing from Naruto.

"Now now, Tsunade's always been a temperamental one. And we certainly aren't moving slowly at all Naruto; we're here."

Sunlight filtered through the boundary of trees, lighting up the path they had traversed. As they left the forest they came into a beautiful open docking area with sprawling white-stone platforms against a sandy beach down below. People were frolicking in the water while lifeguards watched from their stations intently. Ships floated contently in the salty turquoise waters sloshing against the dark, wooden docks. Little shops dotted the platforms, offering rental boats or fishing supplies or souvenir merchandise.

"It smells wonderful," Kuromaru spoke, his muzzle high in the air, nose twitching. "It's so fresh and salty and mouth-watering. I could go for some fish."

"Go catch some then. Don't bother me," Tsume shrugged.

"It's actually almost two. Lunch will be eminent, but not now. Work before you eat!" He sung the exclamation.

They headed over to a large ship where dock workers were loading boxes ten at a time. Kabuto was overseeing them, scribbling on a clipboard. He wore baggy purple pants that tightened above his knees and a purple shirt with short, loose sleeves and a blue cloth belt. His legs were wrapped in protective bandages, but he wore no chain mail. His headband gleamed on his forehead. Silver bangs fell in front of his pale face, and his glasses caught the gleam of the sunlight as he turned around to greet them, shielding his eyes. Sakura blushed.

"Hello," he spoke in a pleasant voice, smiling. "It's great to see Team 7 again. And newcomers!" Putting the clipboard under his shoulder, he groped around a pants pocket and pulled out a thick set of cards. Staring at Shino, he moved his hand around the tops of the cards, finally pulling one out. Gripping it in his gloved hand, he reviewed it. "Shino Aburame. Konohagakure Shinobi Class: Gennin, registration number 012618, height 5'9", weight 132 lbs., birthday January 23, age 16, blood type AB, ninjutsu 3, genjutsu 1, taijutsu 2, weapons 2, kekkei genkai: Aburame insect infusion."

Everyone's heads either went to Shino or to Kabuto. Mouth open in awe, Sakura stuttered. "H-How did you g-get all that?"

Kabuto laughed. "Don't be alarmed. These are my shinobi information cards, better known as ninja info cards. That's what I call them, at least. I created them as a special filing system, as Otogakure also has copies of Konoha's report files. I can detect chakra coding and match it with the cards."

"What does mine say?" Sakura asked, impressed.

He smiled brightly. "Let me check, Sakura-san."

She blushed as he whipped through the cards. Pausing on one, he cleared his throat. "Sakura Haruno. Konohagakure Shinobi Class: Chuunin, registration number 012601, height 5'3", weight 107 lbs., birthday March 28, age 15, blood type O, ninjutsu 3, genjutsu 4, taijutsu 2, weapons 3, kekkei genkai: n/a."

Sakura giggled. "Are those numbers good?"

"Well, it's out of 5, so I'd say you're average." Kabuto put the cards away.

"Are you done showing off, Kabuto?" Orochimaru asked with a smirk.

He stopped and smiled, embarrassed. "Yes, for now. The ships are in order. Are these the final boxes?"

The Otokage nodded, carefully transitioning the boxes from his hands to the dock workers. Stretching his arms out, he took the clipboard from his subordinate's hands. "I'll just mark these down," he said slowly, writing something on the paper. He handed it back to Kabuto, his fingers brushing against the man's gloved hands in a caressing way.

A pink tinge grew on the bespectacled man's cheeks. "Thank you, Orochimaru."

Sasuke watched the strange interaction with a look of contempt. "What's with the informality?"

"Sasuke Uchiha. Konohagakure Shinobi Class: Chuunin, registration number 012606, height 5'8", weight 127 lbs., birthday July 23, age 16, blood type AB, ninjutsu 5, genjutsu 2, taijutsu 4, weapons 4, kekkei genkai: n/a." As if that had been part of the answer, he continued. "Orochimaru and I have a different relationship than just subordinate and master."

The Uchiha growled. "_No kekkei genkai?_ Your card's lying. I have one, and I'll get it someday." He rubbed his eyes as he said this.

"The Sharingan?" Orochimaru asked timidly. "It's quite a powerful kekkei genkai. Your brother showed good use of the skill when he presented it to me years ago."

"Don't talk about him," the raven-haired boy spat.

Naruto rounded on him, frowning. "Don't freak out on him!"

"Stop fighting," Kakashi commanded. He handed his boxes over.

Orochimaru opened his mouth to say something, but it lapsed into a peculiar grin. He sighed and opened a pouch connected to his back pocket. As soon as he did so, two men jumped down from the ship and ran at him, both brandishing shuriken. The dock workers scattered in an instant, shouting for help. With celerity, Orochimaru threw two senbon to meet the assaulters. They pierced right through their ribcage and flew straight through the heart, embedding in the muscle. They didn't even make a sound before they dropped, sprawled on the platform as if they had just fallen asleep.

The Konoha shinobi just then realized Orochimaru had been attacked. The Otokage turned towards the silver-haired man looking over the bodies of the two men. "Betrayal once, I forgive, betrayal twice, I forgive, betrayal three times, I can't let you live." The statement was articulated in a sing-song fashion. "Dispose of the bodies, if you may, Kabuto."

He nodded and went to the bodies, chakra building on his arm. Sakura blinked, and the bodies had suddenly disappeared. Kabuto stood up, wiping his hands. "They are gone, sir."

"May they have good fortune in the skies above," Orochimaru prayed. "But I do not have mercy on those who continue to dream of taking my life."

Sakura's green eyes scanned the platform quickly. The dock workers were continuing their work with a little more caution. "W-Where did they go?"

"I took care of them," Kabuto spoke nonchalantly. "I'll take these boxes." He took the boxes from Sakura, smiling at her the whole time. She stuttered in thanks and turned away, embarrassed.

Sasuke scowled and thrust his boxes to a dock worker, folding his arms after they were empty. "What now?"

Shino was fumbling around with something in his shirt pocket. "I'm hungry," he stated.

His boxes stood next to him. Kabuto went over and checked them off. "We'll eat in a moment. Where are the boxes for Tsunade?" He asked his teacher.

"They're back at the library. We can get those later. Now, I want us all to have a day on the town. See the sights, eat, be merry."

He smiled at his good idea, but the others weren't so receptive. Naruto fidgeted awkwardly and Sasuke and Sakura exchanged glances. Tsunade sighed. "We don't have...well...we can't afford a day in Otogakure. We don't...have the money." She hated saying it out loud. It left a bitter taste in her mouth.

The man glanced over all of them, and a smile of pity fell over his face. "I understand. Let me make this easier for you." He pulled out a wallet from his oh-so-tight jeans.

Tsunade glared at him. "Don't dote on us! It's not—"

"Tsunade-san," Naruto interrupted, speaking very seriously, "I don't want to miss out on a day here, especially if I'm not coming back. What's wrong with charity? We can't afford to have egos."

"Spoken like a true leader," Orochimaru said. "Please, take what I have to offer. It's a personal thing, between friends I'd say."

He withdrew many ryo bills from his wallet and distributed them accordingly. Sakura took hers with a generous thank-you, and Naruto grinned and stuffed it in his frog-coin purse. Tsume took it without word. Kakashi bowed to him. When he reached Sasuke, however, things turned difficult.

"I'm not taking any of your damn money," he spat. "I don't need it."

"Sasuke," he crooned, "you shouldn't hold a grudge because of your brother. I had nothing to do with his breakdown."

"Like hell you didn't! Notice how fine he was _until _he came back from his apprenticeship with you!" The Uchiha retreated from him, walking off. "Let's go, guys."

But Naruto and Sakura lingered. "Sasuke, I wanna go with the Otokage." Naruto said. "And I don't like your attitude!"

"Too fucking bad!" he yelled back. "Be brainwashed by his goddamn preaching! I don't give a shit!"

"He's not brainwashing me, moron! You just hate him because he's the one person who doesn't dote on you cuz you have no family, and doesn't feel pity for you cuz you're an emo jackass!" the blond screamed.

Sasuke's hands curled into fists. "I dare to you repeat that!" He ran at Naruto, ready to clobber the teenager.

Naruto stood at a ready posture, Sakura shouting protests. Sasuke was a second away from punching his friend in the face, but Kakashi materialized in between them and grabbed Sasuke's fist and pushed Naruto backwards. "QUIT THIS CRAP, NOW!" he bellowed, angry and embarrassed.

Sasuke pulled his fist out of Kakashi's grip. He turned around and started walking away. "Whatever."

"Remember to meet back at the library!" Orochimaru called. He received no reply. "He heard me, don't worry." He turned towards the others, sighing.

Sakura watched him leave forlornly. "Why does he dislike you so much?" she wondered out loud.

"He believes Itachi's breakdown was a result of meeting me. I honestly can say there is no reason why Itachi would have ever needed to fear or hate me, but I suffered much disdain from the Uchihas after he returned to Konoha. I _was _on friendly terms with them, but Sasuke and Itachi's father never trusted me much." The tight-clothed man stepped on the road. "Now then, who wants to join me for lunch? I know an absolutely spectacular restaurant down in the main city district."

"I'll come!" Naruto piped. "Screw what Sasuke thinks. I like you."

"And I'm glad," he replied with a laugh. "Tsunade, you must join us. We haven't had nearly enough time to catch up. And Kabuto, will you be going my way?"

The silver-haired man looked towards Sakura. "Actually, I was thinking about showing this young lady my hospital. I know she'll be interested."

The kunoichi perked up, her eyes shining. "Really, Yakushi-sama?! Oh thank you!"

"Kuromaru wants to check out the fishing stores. We'll stay around here," Tsume said.

"I'll...I'll just walk around," Shino murmured, hands in his pockets.

"I'll go with Naruto and Tsunade," Kakashi said.

The blond boy scowled. "Tell him he's a moron. Let's go, Otokage-sama!"

"_Please _do call me Orochimaru. I don't mind formality but it's easier this way. Can we all meet back at five? Your train leaves at six-fifteen and you can't afford to be late. Literally, figuratively, whatever!" He headed Naruto, Tsunade, and Kakashi. "Follow my way."

**XxXxXx**

Sasuke kicked a rock over a small hill that ran down to a thin stream adorned with lily pads. _Stupid idiots, _he thought angrily, _who cares if they're brainwashed by that bastard. I know what really happened._

Actually, no he didn't. His hatred for Orochimaru was completely insubstantial. Itachi had returned from Otogakure in a very flustered, paranoid mood, but he never put any of the blame on Orochimaru directly, nor did he even speak ill of the man when mentioned. Perhaps he had witnessed Orochimaru executing a group of assassins and grew frightened of his power.

_No, Itachi was twelve, but he wasn't easily scared. And Orochimaru isn't the type to brutally murder anyone. He killed those rogues cleanly. There wasn't even any blood._

Then what happened? He had tried to peace the events together in his head, but he always stopped before Itachi's actual attack. It was a gruesome thing to think about.

_I'm just angry because I couldn't stop Itachi. No, because I was too afraid to. Am I putting the blame on him because I'm trying not to think of my own mistakes?_

_**His brother had all but disappeared. The only gleam in his Sharingan-printed eyes was of complete lunacy. His smirk was wide and terrifying, his teeth covered in blood along with every other part of his body. Bearing down on Sasuke, he looked like a monster, craving to defile all that was pure until flesh dripped from the walls and crushed bones littered the ground.**_

"_**Sasuke," he spoke, "you're so frail. I want...I must...I want...I must..." He kept on repeating the half-baked statements with a whine of hunger in his demonic pitch.**_

_**The eight-year old screamed in absolute fear, shaking. He scrambled up and continued screaming all down the hall of their home, all the way beating himself for opening up Itachi's door and letting him out to destroy the household like a rabid beast.**_

_**He fell and screamed again, his voice hoarse and tear-filled. He could smell the blood spilled all over the floor, and the flesh and muscle ripped from a mangled corpse tossed against and sticking to the wall. The thing he wanted most was to creep into the night and never be found by the hell-creature that was Itachi, but he screamed once more, and vomited from the disgusting stench of the room. He cried harder and stood up, running through the blood, feeling it squish underneath his bare feet, and ran out of the house, onto the village road where Uchihas all sauntered around, taking care of their nightly business.**_

_**In a minute, the Uchihas all around the main house saw him, in his state of complete disarray, with his tear-streaked face and vomit coating his shirt and blood soaked on his skin.**_

"_**G-G-G-GET OUT OF HERE!" he screamed, bursting into tears again.**_

_**He heard a lustful breathing coming from the entrance to the house. It took him a century to turn around. Itachi stood in the dark doorway, laughing very quietly, the hair from his father's head entangled in his bloody fingers, the head swinging gently. He lifted the head up and sunk his teeth into it, ripping his father's ear off and chewing on it.**_

_**Sasuke's screams were drowned out by the frantic stampede of the doomed Uchihas.**_

A loud yell snapped him out of his memory. Sasuke hadn't been paying attention to where he had been going, and had wandered into the middle of a road, where taxis were being held up by his unfortunate placement. He hurried out of the street and stepped onto the pavement, shaking his head.

_Fucking Itachi. _His stomach growled. Noticing he was in a shopping area, he cut through an alley to go look for a fast-food joint. He heard a trash can rustle around the ground. He walked towards a familiar-looking head of brown hair.

"Shino?" he asked.

The sunglasses-wearing boy jumped and whipped around. "W-What?! O-Oh," he relaxed a little when he saw Sasuke, "what?"

Sasuke's vision flickered down towards smoke that was pouring from behind Shino's back. It entered his nostrils and he stepped back, coughing. "Um..." his mind reeled, suddenly being unable to focus on what he was going to ask, "w-where do you...uh...restaurants."

"...Over there." Shino pointed towards the end of the alley. "Across the street. That's where the others are."

"Thanks." Sasuke stood there awkwardly for a minute, before realizing that in order to walk he had to put his feet in front of him. He left Shino in the alley, feeling lightheaded. _He was smoking pot, wasn't he? Well shit. I gotta tell Kurenai-sensei when we get back._

He headed across the street and a train rumbled over his head, tilting up like a roller-coaster to curl around a skyscraper. He noticed Kabuto and Sakura sitting at a café, both looking happy in each other's company.

Jealousy flared inside Sasuke, but he decided not to bother them. Instead, he purchased a sandwich and cola from the little shop nearby, and ate it while walking back to the library, where he sat alone, until Shino came about a half-hour later. They exchanged a few words, but it was mostly silence until Kabuto and Sakura came back.

"...Did you enjoy yourself?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura was surprised by his caring. "Ahh...yes, I did! He gave me a tour of the entire hospital, it was so cool! There was so much equipment he showed me, and look what he gave me!" She held out a large medical jutsu. "It's for self-study, cuz Tsunade won't let us keep the books at the end of the course apparently."

He smiled unemotionally. "That's nice."

Kabuto and Sakura chatted amongst themselves until Orochimaru's group finally reappeared. Much to Sasuke's dismay, not only were Naruto and Tsunade enjoying themselves, but Kakashi was animated in the conversation as well. Tsume and Kuromaru came within a few minutes.

Still, he liked seeing them happy. He suddenly felt very guilty for attacking him. "Have fun?"

Naruto feigned a scowl. "Maybe if you hadn't tried to punch me and had come along." But he grinned, and Sasuke knew the fight was behind them.

"I'll get those books for you. Tsunade, come assist me," Orochimaru said.

Sasuke stood close to Sakura as they went inside the library. It was getting dark already. The shadows cast images on the darkening green ground. He closed his eyes, and breathed in the fresh air. He caught a flowery scent mixed in with the salty air sneaking into the forests from the shipyards. He smiled. Otogakure really was a pretty place.

_If only, Konoha. If only._

**XxXxXx**

Another long chapter from yours truly! I'll apologize for it taking forever. I actually had half of it done before school started, but this is one tough year for me. I've got AP U.S. History that gives a ton of homework every day that takes like two hours to do, and British Literature Honors that also demands reading journals that take a good half-hour, if you make no effort. I enjoy reading, but it's not like I want to chronicle every opinion I hold about the story on paper. That's what in-class discussions are for! Algebra II and Biology Honors also contribute to the workload, but Creative Writing doesn't take me long at all. Now _that's_ a fun class! Oh, and since its marching band season, we have contests and practices all the time which cut into my life just as much. We have a contest at Rockford next Saturday...I hope we get higher than 4th this time, now that we have Thriller down.

Ah, how I love my characters so much. They are totally flawed, in a bad way, and I love it. Poor Ino, remembering all those good times with Shikamaru. He really has changed, hasn't he? And Asuma finally let Kurenai go after being cheated on numerous times. Anko's there for him, but she's made it clear it's not in a romantic way. Is it possible for Asuma to have a female friend and not want her? Hinata does act like a stalker sometimes, but she really does care for Naruto. But it seems she's still staying with Kiba.

Is Otogakure cool, or what? I didn't expect to turn into a really cool place. I expected it to be really abounded with flowers and fields and stuff, until I remembered how it was a rich city so it became totally sci-fi cool. It's got skyscrapers and airborne train tracks and shipyards and farms and forests; it's got everything! I wish I could draw a picture of it. I totally would. But, I can't draw or paint or do anything cool other than write, so use your imaginations!

Well, this chapter had a lot of Ino and Shikamaru character development, as well as teacher development, which I've been lacking on. There was development for Orochimaru, Kabuto, and Tsunade too, and some background development on Sasuke. Don't think that's the last time we'll see his past, though—and don't think it gets any less gruesome.

I'll see you next chapter! REVIEW!


	11. Questions: A Risen Leader

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
****Slight AU warning.  
****Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!**

Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja trigger a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?

Note: _Italicized lines _often mean thoughts of a character or in some cases dreams. **Bolded lines **often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. _**Bolded italicized lines **_often mean flashbacks.

The Author Speaks: There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information given.There will be limes/_possible _lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes.

Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except all the characters are two years older than before the time-skip in the series (13 is 15, 26 is 28, etc). Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire.

Definitions:  
futanari – hermaphrodites, pertaining to hentai involving hermaphrodites

Songs:  
"Move Along" by The All-American Rejects  
"Stronger" by Kanye West  
"Breathe Today" by Flyleaf  
"Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield

**Show Me a Hero**

_**Chapter 11 – Questions: A Risen Leader **_

"_**I don't think I'll ever be able to kill another person," Tsunade admitted, her team sitting down next to the training posts after a hard day's work.**_

_**Judging eyes preyed down on her and she smoothed her robe out in nervousness. Their training had focused on locating the major arteries of the assailant during combat. The young kunoichi excelled in human anatomy but she was skeptical of her abilities.**_

"_**What makes you say that?" Sarutobi asked her, his sun-stained brown hair poking out of his hat.**_

"_**I want to save human lives, not take them away. Who are we to judge who should die or not?" Tsunade wondered, brushing a blonde lock out of her face.**_

_**Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "You are such a humanitarian."**_

"_**Oooh, big word for someone with your brain," she taunted.**_

"_**Very clever. Come on, you knew when you signed up for this that we'd have to kill somebody at some point in our lives. If you wanted to question the meaning of life or whatever then you should've done it before you paid for enrollment." Jiraiya flopped down on the dry grass, some of it sticking to his bushy white hair.**_

"_**Don't stir her up," Sarutobi told his most difficult student. "Tsunade, we all have a conscience and sense of right and wrong. Shinobi have a common belief they share of wrongdoing, and when you go into the field of shinobi, you are adhering to that belief, because you wouldn't want to be a shinobi if you didn't believe in our cause. Our sense of wrongdoing can be seen with all the missing-nin in the world. They symbolize the extent of what we think is evil, and you, as a Chuunin, are to uphold that belief."**_

_**She remained quiet, knowing it was true. She didn't wish to be rebellious, but her fear of killing would have to go, even if it wasn't in the way she wanted it.**_

_**The meeting ended with the setting sun. Sarutobi stayed behind to clean up the grounds while she and her teammates went home. Orochimaru walked next to her, his long black hair fanning out behind him.**_

"_**People are gonna mistake you as a girl. You should wear your hair up," Tsunade critiqued.**_

"_**And people are gonna think YOU look like a guy. Wear your hair down, no-boobs," Jiraiya teased, prompting a slap from his female friend.**_

"_**You still harass her about that silly detail?" Orochimaru asked. "It's nothing to think about at our age."**_

"_**Don't act so mature. You know you look at porn like the rest of the guys," Jiraiya said, the long red streaks on his face wrinkling when he squinted against the sun.**_

"_**Maybe I do," Orochimaru admitted, with a sly smile, "but I prefer a woman's legs and muscle. Lean women repel me. I want a strong woman."**_

"_**You are such a fag," Jiraiya teased. "But then again, you like futanari."**_

"_**Pardon me for saying this, friend, but it was you who left all those monster hentai magazines at my house, if I'm not mistaken," Orochimaru reminded him.**_

_**Tsunade groaned. "You two are so freaking weird. Hentai is for pervs."**_

"_**And pervs we are! Though Orochimaru is a closet perv." Jiraiya punched the coal-haired boy's shoulder. "Aint that right?"**_

"_**I do not spend all my time and chakra spying on girls, if that's what you mean," Orochimaru replied calmly. He smiled at Tsunade. "I only reserve my affections for the most beautiful, capable women."**_

_**She blushed heavily. Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I have to hang a left here, I'll see you two tomorrow."**_

"_**Training's at eleven, remember that!" Tsunade called as he sprinted away.**_

"_**I have to get up that early?!" was all they heard from the white-haired boy as he grew farther away. **_

_**She laughed. "He's so lazy. But I love him."**_

"_**Do you still have softball practice at five? I'd like to eat dinner with your family, if that would be of interest to you," Orochimaru stated.**_

"_**I still do. Maori didn't wanna cancel it, even though it's gonna get really windy later. But they're selling food at the concessions today...so maybe you could stay for a little while?" she asked hesitantly.**_

_**His apartment building was up ahead. He stopped and gazed upon her. "I'd be happy to."**_

"_**Unless you'll be bored of course," she added, unable to meet his eyes.**_

"_**I hardly doubt spending time with you would be boring." **_

_**Tsunade dared to look at him. Orbs of liquid peridot bore into her amber ones, conveying a caring feeling that made her entire body relax. His pale, young face was chiseled with feeling of overwhelming intelligence and charisma that made her resolution melt. He had a natural beauty, complemented by his midnight black hair that was so straight and perfect as it blew around his face. **_

"_**O-Orochimaru..."**_

"Tsunade?" Naruto roused her from her dream, "we're back."

She blinked once before reality came into focus. The moon was shining in the dark skies that had spread over the land, now less varied than Otogakure and much less vibrant. The sector platform was unlit, and people were tiredly plodding carefully down to Konoha's forest pathway.

Everyone filed out of the train. They emptied out onto the platform and headed for Konoha. There wasn't much unified discussion along the way. Team 7 stuck close to each other and Shino stayed silent the entire time.

Tsunade was already missing Orochimaru's presence. Seeing him again had been a comfortable experience. Traveling alone for fifteen years normally made a person feel lonesome.

"You look tired," Kakashi noticed as he caught up to Tsunade.

She shrugged. "Long day. I don't like getting up early."

"That's not very responsible of you," he joked. A solemn look crossed his face. "...Then again, I shouldn't say anything. I come home drunk and sleep until four."

"You're using the present tense," she said.

"I never said I stopped drinking," he mumbled. "It's hard, but I've been distracted by the team. I think in a few months I'll be completely sober."

"I used to be drunk a lot too," Tsunade remembered, "after I left Konoha. Probably ten years of my life I spent boozing it up."

"Because of Dan and Nawaki?" Kakashi asked. He quieted, realizing he had just toed the line by mentioning their names.

Her face darkened, but she brushed off the question. "Anyway, I have to go to Sarutobi's office and check over his reports. Being his assistant is killing my rest. He forgets so many things."

It was the first time anyone had ever addressed Sarutobi's faults in such a blatant way. The statement was true. Kakashi had been in his audience many times, and recently he had been forgetting many important issues.

_**Sarutobi stared at the teacher in absolute confusion when he saw him sitting in the meeting room, writing in a notebook. "Hatake-san? What are you doing here? It's past midnight."**_

"_**My Lord," he said cautiously. "You...you called me here. You wanted to discuss something about the kyuubi. You set the meeting for eight. I've been waiting. Should I have gone to find you?"**_

_**Sarutobi looked shocked. "I...I didn't call a meeting..." he spoke slowly.**_

"_**My Lord, you gave me this scroll," Kakashi reminded patiently, opening up the document with a scrawled note across the page.**_

_**The old shinobi read it over several times. He looked up at Kakashi. "Well, I'm quite sorry about that! It must have slipped my mind. About the kyuubi, I just wanted to ask you if it's been affecting Naruto's training."**_

_**Kakashi shook his head. "Not that I've seen. In fact, the kyuubi supplies Naruto with a lot of chakra, it's helping him. The seal's holding strong. Sometimes I forget he even has the kyuubi. Though...the adults do still hold him in contempt, despite his recent successes in missions. It bothers me how judgmental they are, but I can't blame them for fearing the thing that destroyed their way of life."**_

_**Sarutobi nodded. "Someday they'll see the contribution Naruto makes to Konoha. I can assure you of that." He smiled. "That's all I needed to know."**_

"_**Alright, can I finally go home?" Kakashi joked as he turned to leave and headed for the door.**_

_**He nodded. "Of course, Sakumo."**_

_**Kakashi froze, hand wrapped around the doorknob. "L-Lord Sarutobi," he spoke quietly, "I'm Kakashi Hatake. Sakumo was my father."**_

"_**He's a good man," Sarutobi said without acknowledging his mistake, "how is he doing? We should eat lunch together one of these days."**_

_**His blood ran cold. "Maybe. Good night, Sarutobi." He left the office as quickly as possible, horrified.**_

A lunch arrangement with his father wouldn't have worked so well. Sakumo Hatake committed suicide during the kyuubi war.

"...Tsunade," he said. "Lord Sarutobi is unfit to rule anymore. That's what I believe."

She took in his opinion with sad agreement. He hadn't really been a good ruler to begin with, but many liked him. He was a nice man who had no leadership skills. "I agree with you." She hated admitting it. She felt like she was betraying her sensei. "But who will take over? He hasn't appointed anyone. If we're doing it based on family, it'd have to be Asuma."

"Asuma can't lead," Kakashi said. "He's got enough problems with his own team, we don't need to pile any more on him."

"Then who? Konohamaru? He's eleven. He's not even going to the academy."

"He can't preside over Konoha either. Speaking of him, Sarutobi wants you to give him a proper checkup, to see how he's doing." They hit the gate, opened it, and soon they were back inside their destitute little city. Immediately Kakashi missed the pleasant smells of Oto and the feeling that people weren't stacked on top of each other, as soon as a man pushed him out of the way to get to a lone house crumbling near the gate.

"I'm starving. You get no food on that train," Naruto complained.

"I'm kinda hungry too," Sakura noted.

Sasuke's mood had lightened considerably with his nap on the train and finally getting away from that city. "Well, _normally _what people do when they're hungry is _eat food._ Does Kakashi-sensei need to teach you how to do that too?"

"Shut up," Naruto hissed. "I was gonna invite you to Ichiraku, but I guess if you wanna be a prick then I can get angry at you again."

"I don't turn down food offers, unless they're from annoying girls," Sasuke thought out loud.

"I'm not paying for it! I'm poor enough as it is!" the blond pointed out, laughing. "Hey Shino, wanna join?"

The shady teenager looked at him behind his sunglasses, though the moon was obscured by wispy grey clouds. "No," he said. "I'm not hungry." Without saying anything else, he looked for the street leading to his house and left.

"Such a boring guy. Well, let's go!"

The adults watched Team 7 head towards the ramen joint. Tsume and Kuromaru bade them goodbye and left.

Tsunade kept her eyes on Naruto. "When I see that boy, I see the next leader of Konoha."

His head snapped to look at her. "He's only sixteen. There's no way he'll lead Konoha next."

"He'll make a great leader. I know it. I don't even know why. Maybe Orochimaru's thinking is influencing me." Tsunade shook her head. "Can we continue this discussion another time? I have work to do. Following me?"

"My house is not on your path. I guess we'll say goodbye here," Kakashi said. "So, goodbye."

She chuckled. "Goodnight, Kakashi. Keep up the good work," Tsunade said, departing.

He nodded and walked to his house, his mind wandering several times as he thought of their opinions. Sarutobi was showing signs of old age. He was a smart man, but unfortunately inexperienced, and sooner or later someone would have to take his place. Before Tsunade came, no one had ever really given it much thought. He thought it cruel how much faith he put in the Lord. The pressure couldn't have helped his health.

He didn't like the way Tsunade put so much confidence in Naruto. He was only a teenager. Sarutobi had done the same thing with him.

"_**WHAT DO YOU MEAN, OBITO AND RIN ARE DEAD?!" Kakashi roared, unable to move from his chair, frozen in anger. "LORD SARUTOBI SAID THEY COULD MANAGE IT!"**_

"_**They must have been ambushed. Kakashi," Koharu said gently, "the Lord's word is not always accurate. Remember, he did allow you to sign off the mission..."**_

"_**NO, FUCK YOU!" he screamed, kicking over the table in a burst of violence. Koharu stood patiently, expecting his anger. "DON'T BLAME THIS ON ME! IT'S...IT'S NOT MY FAULT! IT'S LORD SARUTOBI'S! FUCK HIM! FUCK YOU ALL!" He collapsed to his knees, starting to cry heavily. "Fuck you all...fuck, fuck fuck FUCK! Why did this happen? T-They were just moving fucking MONEY! They can't be...no...Obito...Rin...fuck you...fuck..." he moaned, bawling and curled up at the senior's feet.**_

He unlocked the door to his house and threw the keys on the counter. A beer or five were suddenly sounding good.

**XxXxXx**

It was very late in the evening, and in this particular section of Konoha, it was oddly quiet. The denizens of the night were tucked in their beds instead of out having a good time. Even the bars were scarcely occupied.

Three people appeared on the road, all wearing foreigner's clothing and obviously shinobi. Their headbands all bore the symbol of the great Hidden Village Sunagakure.

"That train took forever. We could have walked here in less time," a young man complained, his completely black attire blending into the unlit streets. He looked around with a wrinkled nose. "What kind of dump is this? This place looks like the slums at home."

"This is Konoha, what did you expect?" One of his companions, a fresh adult with spiky blonde hair, adjusted her obi strap. "I calculated the travel time completely wrong. I hate arriving at new places at night. It makes everything difficult."

"There are no signs," he observed. "How are tourists supposed to find an inn?"

"Do you seriously think people would come here for vacation?" she snorted. "We're here on business."

"The Kazekage wants to take over this dump? Normally I'm all for his ideas but this place...hell no." His inky black eyes darted over to the third person. He was met with his primitive green gaze above a frown. He had no eyebrows. "You like this place, Gaara?"

The red-haired boy sporting a kanji tattoo looked away and at the ground. He kicked up some dirt which pathetically wheezed a dirt cloud. "...no. I'm hungry."

"We'll get you food soon," the woman comforted. "Don't worry."

Gaara's nose twitched and he started growling like a dog. "I smell food. Temari...get me food."

His eyes fixated on a young woman who had appeared on the street corner. She wore a tight black leather skirt and a tube top cut above her belly button, pierced with a red butterfly. Fishnet covered her shoulders and neck, framing her cleavage. Her blonde hair was smoother than Temari's, and hung loose down her back.

Kankuro smirked when he saw her. Temari sighed. A whore. Not what they were looking for. Well, at least she was a person. They approached her. Gaara kept growling, but a harsh glare from her quieted him, though he made whining noises every once in a while.

"Excuse me," Temari asked.

The girl looked at her and smiled. "Can I help you? If you're wondering, gender doesn't matter to me," she said professionally.

Temari flushed and Kankuro chuckled. "That's...I'm not interested in what you have to offer, er...thank you."

The girl just then noticed their headbands. Excitement clouded her face. "You're from Sunagakure?" she asked.

"Yes, we are," Temari said.

"That's so cool! We never get tourists around here, except maybe Oto people here and there." Her gaze went back and forth from their appearances to their headbands.

The woman felt uncomfortable. She didn't want attention to be drawn to them. "Can you direct us to the nicest inn here?"

"The nicest?" the prostitute pondered for a moment. "Um...Kazaro's is probably the nicest. It's expensive though, so not a lot of people stay there. It has a good Western restaurant. Um, it's down there, take a right and head past the ice cream carts and you'll find it."

"Thank you," Temari bowed, and was ready to be on her way, but Kankuro stayed.

"How much are you?" he asked.

She smiled. "My base price is thirty-five hundred ryo for normal sex. Any requested positions are an extra five hundred ryo."

"Really," his eyes raked her body.

Gaara also stared at her. "Can you feed me?"

Temari grabbed Gaara and pulled him back, but the prostitute laughed. "_That _will be only fifteen hundred, but the other way around is twenty hundred."

"We don't want anything, thank you," Temari said, more to the boys than her. "My brothers and I will be on our way now. Thank you for your help."

She dragged Gaara away, and Kankuro followed hastily. "Come on," he said, "you know I can't get a girlfriend. They freak out whenever I put on my makeup. And she was smokin' hot!"

"She doesn't even look eighteen," the blonde woman spat. "It's probably the only way she can live in this place. Don't take advantage of her."

"Hey, if I help her buy the groceries by fucking her then it's a win-win situation!" Kankuro exclaimed.

"Gaara was going to attack her. Couldn't you see it in his eyes? He wanted blood, not sex. I thought you'd be able to read him better by now," she scolded.

"Relax, sister. Let's get to the inn already."

**XxXxXx**

Ino watched the Suna-nin leave. _How interesting, _she thought. _Man, if only that woman hadn't dragged them away. Those boys were hot! _She giggled, and turned to the sound of footsteps. A man was walking towards her, with a desperate look on his face.

She regarded him in interest. "Hello Izumo. I thought you'd be with Kotetsu at this hour."

Izumo Kamizuki shook a little. A weak smirk sprawled across his features. "Kotetsu hates me at the moment."

That piece of news saddened her. Izumo and Kotetsu had always been happy together. "Do you need to forget him?"

"...Your father always told me to be patient with Kotetsu. He was a bit of an impatient guy. Your father...was the best sensei I ever had. Even when he was going through his own tragedies..." Izumo pulled out some ryo. "Please help me, Ino."

"I'll be happy to," she said. "Come with me."

They went to an inn nearby. She gladly submitted herself to his angry thrusting and his tears splashing on her delicate skin, wetting the bandages covering her hand as he clutched her tightly to him, crying about his lost lover. She reassured him that Kotetsu still loved him, and that he had to face him and settle things.

She sat in the sticky, cum-stained sheets and counted her money as he took a shower. Her felt her heart twinge as his sobbing rang over the beating water. She noticed his wallet sticking out of his pants pocket on the floor. With a sigh, she grabbed it and opened it, withdrawing about seventy hundred more ryo.

It happened a lot. Izumo was not the only man who had used her as relief after a lover's spat. Still, she had been getting fewer customers because of her injured hand and her ninja status; at the flower shop, her father had been becoming increasingly lethargic with the flowers, buying flower seeds and never watering them. Money was growing tighter. She felt for poor Izumo, but her conscience didn't affect her so much anymore.

She'd stolen from everyone she'd slept with. It was a dog-eat-dog world.

**XxXxXx**

It was a cool morning. Tsunade donned a light jacket before she left the apartment she had recently rented. She had been up all night correcting reports that the Lord had mixed up. She was growing increasingly worried about his loss of memory.

The streets were busy that morning. She bought a tart from a coffee shop, and pinpointed Sasuke next to a shop. He wore baggy jeans and a tight black shirt with a boy crying blood on it.

_How pleasant, _she thought, heading towards him.

He was organizing newspapers. When he noticed her, he slackened his pace on the pile. "Hello, Tsunade-san."

"Morning, Sasuke! Hard at work?" she asked.

"Yes, and later Team 7 is training with Kakashi-sensei," he said. "When will we be receiving our paychecks for the mission?"

"Orochimaru's got jurisdiction over that," Tsunade reminded. "I'm sure he'll get them to you soon. I haven't even gotten mine yet."

"...Did you need something?" Sasuke eyed her tart. "I could've gotten you one of those for free here."

"Advertising?" she teased. "I wanted to know where I could find Sakura."

"She's at work, over at Amaguriama, that sweet shop on Gravel Road," Sasuke said.

"Do you think I'll get in trouble if I bother her?"

"They're nice people over there. I don't think it'd matter as long as you didn't distract her for long."

Tsunade nodded. "Thank you."

She headed to Amaguriama. The sweet shop was nestled on one side of the road, filled with people. It was a successful place, almost as popular as Ichiraku, and much more varied.

Sakura was working at the register. Tsunade waited in line patiently. When she stopped in front of the counter, she smiled at Sakura's surprise.

"Tsunade-san! Ah, welcome to Amaguriama. Oh, you have nothing for me to ring up?" she asked, looking at her empty hands.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute or so. That is, if your boss doesn't mind," Tsunade muttered. She grew wary of the line forming behind her.

A booming laugh resonated throughout the outdoor shop. The aging owner, Masashi, came out with a smile. He patted Sakura on the back. "Of course she can. I'll just man the register for a little bit."

"Masashi!" Tsunade exclaimed, smiling. "How are you doing?"

"How am I? Fifteen years older. And you still look young and beautiful. So, still harboring that teenage crush on me?" he asked, flexing his scrawny arms.

She laughed. "Come on, I was eleven. Let bygones be bygones."

"Sakura, don't take too long," he said.

"I won't," she promised, stepping out from behind the register and following Tsunade to a secluded side of the shop. "What is it you wanted me for, Tsunade-san? Have the paychecks arrived?" she asked hopefully.

"Funny, Sasuke asked me the same thing. But no, they haven't. Actually, I wanted to make a proposal to you."

"Oh!" she sounded surprised.

"You are going to be taking my class starting next month, correct?" Tsunade asked.

"Why of course. I'm saving the money to pay for costs," the pinkette said proudly.

The blonde smiled at her words. It made her happy to hear such things from the kunoichi. "I was wondering if you'd like to get a little extra out of these classes," she asked. "I've been watching your progress ever since the Chuunin exams, Sakura. Your passion for medicine is inspiring. I'd like to see you go far, Sakura, and I can help you."

Sakura watched the older woman with confusion. "What are you saying?"

"Sakura, would you like to become my apprentice? I can teach you many more things than what I can offer in the classroom. It'd give you a chance for extra practice for the medical field. It'll be difficult, advanced training, but I'll start you out slow. Masashi will probably help plan out your work schedule so you can fit everything in..." Tsunade trailed off, thinking, not noticing the expression on the girl's face.

Sakura squealed. "Tsunade-san, I'm _honored_! I can't believe you'd help me train! Of course I'll become your apprentice; I'll be the best apprentice you'll ever have! Oh thank you thank you thank you!" She jumped up and down in joy, suddenly unable to sit still.

Tsunade waited for Sakura to calm down a little. "I'm glad you're excited. I hope to be a good teacher to you."

"I can't wait to tell the boys and Kakashi-sensei about this!" she exclaimed. "Oh, thank you so much!"

"Sakura, I can't take your job forever!" Masashi called from the register.

"Sorry, Masashi-san!" she called. "I'll be right there!" She looked at Tsunade. "Thank you so much. I can't...I can't believe it! That'd you ask little me to...thank you!"

"Really, I'm glad you accepted."

Sakura rushed back to the register, hopping the whole way. Tsunade stayed at the sweet shop. She bought some sugar chestnut cake complemented by a cup of ginger tea. Sakura was more than enthusiastic as she greeted customers. After the snack she bid goodbye to both the kunoichi and Masashi, and took a side road to roam the more suburban areas.

Her sight came across an inn; a small, fairly new one. Like most inns in Konoha, it got its business from separated spouses or rebellious kids. They always had at least one group of people set outside talking or arguing. This inn seemed fairly quiet, and the only person was a tired-looking woman who was setting large amounts of laundry out to dry on clotheslines.

She frantically turned when she heard Tsunade's sandals scuffle the dirt. Tsunade nodded her head in a passing greeting, but the woman had more than a quick encounter on her mind once she recognized the green-clad doctor.

"Tsunade-sama?" she asked in an obediently quiet voice.

Said woman's amber eyes widened a little at the title. "I am no sama, there is no need to call me such."

"Do not cast away my respect, my Lady. You are renowned in the Fire Country. But please, hear my pleading." She sounded desperate.

"What's the problem?"

"I am Ioshi Sakamoto. I will not say my inn is high-class or even a great place, but I consider it better than most in Konoha. I get my fair share of customers, but I cannot get any more business. Two rogue ninja moved into my inn a few days ago, and they refuse to leave. I've asked them but they threaten my safety, and chased out everyone who had been staying at the time. I've lost plenty ryo from their terrorism, and they're eating all my food and breaking my furniture and they won't at least pay for their stay. Can you do anything to get them out of my inn?" Her eyes darted to the clothesline. "They've forced me to do their chores." Her tone went from anger to fear, and her words became choked as tears bloomed on her lashes. "Just yesterday, one of the men...he felt it necessary to sneak into my bed when I was resting. Said I shouldn't take naps at my age."

Tsunade's hand trembled, her fingers curling immediately. The woman looked fragile enough; was there a need for them to take advantage of her simple nature? "I'll get them out for you, don't worry."

She knew it would be stupid to provoke two rogues in a rickety inn, so she swallowed and sent chakra to her voice box. "Hey!" she yelled at the building. "You two! Get out here!"

There was a shaky silence for a few minutes. Then came the sound of booming laughter and foolish romping as two voices floated from the building.

"What does the bitch want now?"

"Probably wants us to help sort the clothes."

"She had better not have fucking mixed ours up. I'll fuck her up."

Two men came out of the inn. Tsunade started at their entrance. She hadn't been expecting _that_.

One of the men looked fairly normal, with ruffled grayish-brown hair and dull camouflage pants coupled with combat boots. He wore a black muscle shirt and bandages were wrapped around his neck and arms. Strapped to his back was a greatsword.

The other was completely odd. His hair was spiky and blue...blue like his skin. Gill slits were evident on his face and his teeth were jagged and shark-like. He wore a short black cloak that failed to cover his black bermudas. A sword wrapped in bandages held fast onto his back.

_A genusist, _Tsunade observed. _A person who believes the next step in evolution is the fusion of animals and humans. A person who will sacrifice their current form to experimentation in the subject. He's a shark-man. _She noticed the Kirigakure headbands fastened around their heads; more prominently the slashes across the village's symbol. "You're missing-nin," she said.

"Good detective work, lady." The shark-man had a smirk across his strange face. "Now why are you bothering us?" His beady eyes ran down her body, focusing on her large bust.

"Eyes up here, shark-boy." Tsunade's courageous frown did not waver. Though she was unsettled by their strong appearances, she wasn't a pushover. Hopefully this wouldn't turn into a fiasco.

"Oh, aren't you sassy. Hear her, Zabuza? She's telling me what to do," the genusist addressed his roguish friend.

"Zabuza?" The name rang familiar in her head. "Zabuza...Momochi? Of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist? That makes _him..._" It clicked in her head. "Kisame Hoshigaki, the shark genusist."

That wasn't a good fact. The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist were the strongest offensive faction in Kirigakure. Zabuza and Kisame were well-known as being the members who had broken away from the Swordsmen Code and attempted a coup d'état on the Mizukage and the Water Emperor. They failed, and were reported being on the run ever since.

Now, they had plopped down in Konoha.

Shit.

"Alright," Tsunade said, trying to be as precise as possible. _Looks like this isn't going to be an easy pest removal mission. I'm gonna have to approach this differently. _"What are you doing here exactly? No offense but I don't think famous shinobi like you should be rooming here."

Zabuza unsheathed his greatsword. Tsunade flinched but he merely took it and dug it into the ground to lean against. "What better place to hide than this dump? It's not like you low-lives are gonna do anything about us."

"What makes you think I can't? I'm not exactly a regular kunoichi either," the woman said casually. "I'm not famous by face, but I think you've heard the title The Legendary Sucker, hmm?"

"...The medic-nin who can't win a gamble to save her life?" Kisame asked. "Even if that was you I wouldn't be afraid of some bitch who can throw a cure around. Magical sparkles of healing won't stand a chance against Samehada."

_...I guess it was a crappy title anyway. _"This isn't a gambling match, boys. Unless you wanna make a bet."

"The bitch is going to bargain with us?" Zabuza let out a harsh laugh. "Look. If you don't think we're serious about staying here, then we'll just murder your Lord and take over the village. Maybe then you'll get it through your nonexistent brain."

Fire ran through Tsunade's veins. "Don't threaten Lord Sarutobi's life. I bet you that by tonight you'll be in jail and out of our hair. If you really want to dispute that, then give me your collateral."

"Jail? That place doesn't accommodate well," Kisame joked darkly. "I believe that by tonight you'll be either dead or fucked. Maybe both if we feel like it."

Ioshi whimpered and the shark-man glared at her. "I wasn't talking about _you, _bitch. Unless you want that fate too!"

Tsunade was in front of the defenseless in an instant. "If you touch her, I'll skip jail and go straight to execution." She shook her head. "I'll give you three hours. If you're not out by then, I'm turning you in to authorities."

The two swordsmen were obviously not worried. "Sure," Zabuza said. "Thank you for bothering us, bitch. We're going to go back inside now and relax. You!" he barked at Ioshi. "Come inside and draw us a bath."

Ioshi's large eyes pleaded to Tsunade. She shook her head. "Three hours," she muttered.

**XxXxXx**

Naruto yawned and kicked a rock that had unfortunately been sitting in his path. It bounced down the road past a donkey-drawn cart. The donkey whined and stared at the rock, kicking its foot cautiously. Naruto walked past the animal and pulled out his wallet, looking at his wages. Thinking quickly in his head how much the bills would be that month, he decided on a cheap meal at Ichiraku that afternoon.

His jacket's sleeves were tighter around his newly-developed muscles. He liked the feeling of it, the orange framing his arms and his black shirt underneath acting like a muscle shirt. Naruto stuck his wallet back in his pocket and noticed Hinata looking around the market.

"Hinata!" he yelled, running to her.

She turned and gasped. "N-Naruto-kun!" she exclaimed. "You're back!"

"I've been back. At home though, with Iruka-sensei, telling him all about Oto. Oh, I gotta tell you about it too! It was so cool! You wanna get ramen?" he asked.

"Ah..." she sounded disheartened. "I w-would, but I'm with K-Kiba today. I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "I can't get in the way of you two! I got your sweets when I got home. I can't believe I left the door unlocked, stupid me. You didn't take anything, I hope," he joked.

"N-No, n-never," she murmured. "I'm glad y-you liked the sweets."

The street was becoming crowded. He noticed Kiba hurtling towards them on his skateboard, skillfully weaving through the people to get to his girlfriend. He stopped short so as not to hit Naruto, but used his chakra to keep him from falling.

"Hey Naruto," the dogboy said with a strained smile. "Why are you hanging out here? Hinata and I are going back to her house later. You're not following, of course."

This struck Naruto as rude, but he didn't pursue it. Kiba was normally straightforward. "Nope, I wasn't planning to," he said cheerfully.

The hair on the back of his neck prickled and a severe cramp exploded in his stomach. His aqua eyes widened and his skin began to crawl. He heard growling in his head, but not from Kiba. It was much more sinister.

_What...what's this feeling? Are you feeding again? Please not here. Stop, _the boy pleaded to the monster locked inside him.

_**I don't need your chakra now, **_the creature growled. _**Leave here this instant. Someone's coming.**_

_What are you talking—_The pain increased in his stomach and he moaned in pain, doubling over. A few people in the crowd stared at him.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, worried.

"What's with you, man?" Kiba wondered.

His eyes remained fixed to the ground. Using all the strength he could to fight the kyuubi's will to run, he shook as he forced his head up to look across the street.

He met a pair of cold green eyes watching him, accented by heavy black frames shaped around his eyes. He had no eyebrows to go with his dull red hair, and underneath his Sunagakure headband was a kanji tattoo. The boy had a hungry, demonic look on his face, and was being held tightly on the shoulder by a blond woman.

_He's looking at me like I'm his prey, _Naruto stammered. _He wants to rip me apart. _Though the boy was evidently human, the kyuubi was roaring in fury around inside him.

_**That's because he WANTS to kill you. No, not you. Me. Shukaku has found me. **_The kyuubi, for once, sounded frightened. _**I cannot kill him in my pathetic state. Get me out of here, boy!**_

_He's going to kill me?! I...I can't...oh god, what's happening to me! _Naruto screamed internally. His body shook violently and he let out a strangled yowl. The redheaded boy was no longer there. All he saw was a disgusting brown monster, calling to him, snapping its gaping jaws...

He screamed and grabbed his stomach, starting to pant heavily. Kiba took a step back but Hinata drew close to him. Naruto's eyes flashed red. "Don't come near me!"

"Don't hurt my girlfriend!" Kiba warned. "Hinata, get away from him!"

The crowd went into pandemonium. They screamed and ran away from the teenager, claiming that the kyuubi was finally escaping its prison and now everyone would be killed in its unholy clutches. Kiba pulled Hinata away from him and heaved her onto his shoulder, skating away with her as she pleaded to see if he was alright.

All invisible ropes holding him to the ground were severed and he took off, running through the hectic men and women who all clamored to get away from him. He retreated into an alley where he collapsed against a bunch of garbage cans.

He woke up what seemed to be a few hours later in what seemed to be Lord Sarutobi's home. Iruka was hanging over him, pressing a cold compress on his forehead.

"You're awake!" he noticed at Naruto's open eyes. "Thank god. I thought you were really sick when I found you."

"...Why am I here of all places?" Naruto asked weakly.

"I'm teaching Konohamaru today and he happened upon you in the alley. People were freaking out. What the hell did you do? Everyone's under the impression the kyuubi's been unsealed." Iruka took the compress off and threw it in the bucket of warm water.

"I don't know. I thought it was starting to feed, but he said that there was something after him. I saw this boy looking right at me and he turned into a monster and I freaked out. I don't even think he _was _a monster. Kyuubi said something about 'Shukaku,' whatever that means." He sat up.

"Shukaku? That's a tailed beast like kyuubi. It's the weakest tailed beast, however. Why would kyuubi be afraid of it?" the older man wondered out loud.

"Kyuubi said he's weak in his current state. He wasn't trying to escape the seal or anything, he just wanted to run away. I think that boy was going to attack me or something. I don't know. I just wanted some ramen." Naruto curled up on the cushioned chair he had woken up on. "I don't need this drama. How are people supposed to trust me when shit like this happens?"

"I still trust you," a little voice quietly piped from the edge of the room.

Naruto's sight turned to a preteen boy, the same boy that had been beside Lord Sarutobi at the Chuunin exams. His brown hair was still up in a ponytail and he was as pale as ever. He looked skinnier from their last brief encounter, and his clothing combination had changed to a green shirt and brown pants. He held a bowl of steaming ramen.

The teenager's mouth immediately began to water. "Thank you...Konohamaru?"

"That's my name, yes." He handed Naruto the bowl. "I didn't make it though. It's grandpa's recipe. He'll be out shortly."

The boy had a weak voice and looked very tired. For one crazy moment Naruto thought he was being starved but then he remembered this was the Lord's grandson. It didn't seem likely.

Iruka headed into the kitchen to speak to the Lord. Konohamaru took his chair after he left. "I saw you at the Chuunin exams. I heard you were awesome. I bet you were."

Naruto grinned. "Thanks, kid. It'd probably be cooler to watch us shinobi in action, right? You interested in taking the exams yourself? Are you a first-year in the academy?"

"I'm not enrolled in the academy," Konohamaru said.

"...Huh?" That seemed odd, seeing as how he was related to the Lord. "That's...strange."

"Isn't it? I don't go to regular school either. Ebisu-sensei and Iruka-sensei teach me regular stuff like mathematics and grammar and history at home. Uncle Asuma also teaches me things. My friends Moegi and Udon are gonna be ninja though. I think that's cool. I wish I could be one but I'm not allowed." He watched Naruto slurp up the ramen.

"But why?" Naruto asked. His question was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Konohamaru slowly got off his chair and hobbled over to the door, opening it. Tsunade stepped in, looking frazzled.

"Tsunade-san!" he exclaimed, smiling. "Are you here for my checkup?"

"Well, I'm here to take you to your checkup," she said. "Is your grandpa here?"

"Yeah, I'll get him! Guess who we found in the street, Tsunade-sensei?" He pointed at Naruto, who felt awkward cuddled up in a couch sipping ramen.

She looked at him strangely. "Why was he in the street?"

"I gotta get grandpa. He'll tell you." Konohamaru walked into the kitchen.

Iruka headed past Konohamaru towards Naruto. He bent down and sat on his knees. "Naruto, you're free to go whenever."

"Thanks for sounding like a prison warden," Naruto joked.

Iruka smirked. "I just had to clear a few things with Lord Sarutobi. He was skeptical about letting you go without a hospital visit, but he caved in to pressure. I think you're just fine. He's going to look up the boy you saw, okay?"

"Thanks," the blond said sincerely. "Where would I be without you, Iruka-sensei?"

"It's almost three. You still hungry, or was that one bowl enough? I'll treat you," Iruka said.

A prior engagement hit him. "Really, where _would _I be without you? Extremely late to my training! Team 7's meeting today, I can't be late!" He jumped up.

"...Will you be alright alone?" his old sensei asked, worried.

Naruto lingered. "...Yeah. That boy's probably gone. I'll be with Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura for the day. _They_ aren't gonna make me go psycho! Well, Sasuke might." He grabbed his jacket that was hanging from the back of the chair and donned it. "If I don't get going, Kakashi's gonna chew my ass out!"

**XxXxXx**

It turned out that Naruto was right on time. It was Kakashi that was late. He didn't arrive until a half-hour after the call time. Sasuke was sharpening his kunai unenthusiastically, and Sakura was sipping some cream soda, unable to stop jabbering about her apprenticeship.

He was holding a notice. "Naruto," he said in a serious voice, "this is from Lord Sarutobi. It says you had an incident today."

"Oh god, that's was the only thing people were saying at work," Sakura said. "About how Naruto went crazy."

"I didn't go crazy!" he defended. "I already explained myself a million times. It's not my fault this creepy guy got the kyuubi riled up."

"Well right now I'm supposed to be paying close attention to you, for the 'better of the people'," Kakashi said. "I don't really think you're gonna release kyuubi on our asses but I can't ignore this."

"Pointless drama," Sasuke commented. "He didn't go ape-shit or anything. We're here to train anyway, not to give Naruto a time-out."

"For once I agree with emo-boy," Naruto said.

"Well then," Kakashi said, "I think you'd better get off your asses and train."

And so they did. They spent hours being railed on their techniques in all aspects, from weapons handling to jutsu execution. Kakashi didn't hold back.

_I'm not going to let them slip, _Kakashi resolved. _I'm going to act like the teacher._

Sasuke held back the biting remark he was going to throw at Naruto's half-baked attempt at a taijutsu. He darted amongst the rocks and jumped on one, hurtling himself in the air and throwing kunai at Sakura.

She smirked and twirled away from the kunai, doing fast sidesteps before letting a finger slip through the final kunai and swirling it around back towards Sasuke. She whirled around and quickly put her hands together.

"Earth Style: Sub-Assault Jutsu!" she yelled, sinking underneath the ground and avoiding a blast of fire from Kakashi.

Naruto flexed his hands and sent chakra pumping through to his fingers. He thrust his hand into the ground, breaking through layers of earth and grabbed a fistful of hair, unearthing the shielded Sakura. She retaliated with a kick and he caught her foot and hurtled her into Sasuke who jumped. She skidded against the ground and all three of them turned and threw shuriken at Kakashi.

He caught them all and dug them into the ground. He smirked. "You guys are doing better than I thought."

They all paused. Sakura folded her arms. "What do you mean, 'better than you thought?' What, you don't think we haven't gotten stronger?"

Naruto started punching and kicking a target. "Of course he doesn't. He blames himself I think."

"I'm trying to make up for my idiocy. If anyone needs any help with something, I'll personally help them. I...I need you guys to be strong for me." Kakashi bent over and picked up a kunai. "I gotta keep you guys strong."

"Don't say that you aren't strong yourself. Kakashi-sensei, why do you think we trust you with our future?" Naruto asked.

_I don't want you to trust me so much. I'm still too shaky._

**XxXxXx**

Tsunade was not in the mood to go fight two strong shinobi after Konohamaru's checkup. She wanted to stay at home and ponder over what she had just diagnosed, but she knew that she'd have to face them, and she didn't want to put Ioshi in more danger.

Still, life could be really fucking unfair. Especially in Konohamaru's case.

But had her many years of experience hardened her spirit? It seemed so, because she couldn't shed any tears.

She wasn't about to take any shit from those two. She kicked open the door. "Get the hell out here!" she yelled, backing up, thankful that the area around the inn was fairly empty.

They didn't waste leave heading out, expecting her company. Zabuza and Kisame brought along their full arsenal. Ioshi stayed in the comforts of her home.

"I told you to be out of Konoha by now. What's taking so long?" she snapped.

"Are you serious, bitch? We couldn't care less what you say. Even if the fucking Lord came out and told us to leave we wouldn't give a shit. It's you who shouldn't have come back. We really didn't feel like killing any bitches today," Zabuza said.

"But since you insist on having a deathwish, we'll grant it for you," Kisame said in an almost gentlemanly manner. His hand wrapped around his sword, Samehada's handle.

Tsunade sighed and put her hands on her hips. "Bring it."

Zabuza tore off his sword and ran at her. She didn't think that he was very quick, but she knew he was a hard-hitter, and dodged a heavy blow that broke the ground next to her. He twisted his sword to the side to try to trip her up, but she jumped on its blade and over his head, kicking him. A shield of water sprung up and deflected her attack. She fell but balanced on an arm, gathering chakra to it and jumping up to avoid it getting chopped off by the greatsword.

Zabuza unfurled his bandages and they spilled across the ground, catching Tsunade's foot. She cursed and tripped, falling amongst the white.

"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!" he yelled, and a spiral of water shot at her.

Chakra flowed into her fists and she punched through the center of the blast, splitting it in two. The water fell on her harmlessly but soaked her head to toe. Her clothes clung uncomfortably to her skin blistering with goose bumps. Ignoring this, she ran towards Zabuza and threw shuriken. He deflected them with an air blast from his sword. She jumped. "Painful Sky Leg!" She brought down her knee against his head, driving him into the ground with such a force the ground exploded underneath her.

Zabuza threw her off him. "Water Style: Dragon Capture!" A huge dragon made completely out of water rose up from the ground and rushed at her.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Rising!" she called, an enormous amount of fire erupting from her hands and hitting the dragon, reducing it to steam. Sensing chakra behind her, she whipped around and raised her arms in defense of a sword strike from Kisame.

Samehada's makeshift hilt had been dispersed and she felt something shred her skin. She screamed and hit the ground clutching her bleeding arm. Kisame followed her, bringing the sword down next to her head.

"It's not ordinary sword," Kisame drawled. "It's made of sharkskin. Samehada doesn't cut...it shreds!"

He swung it and it collided with Tsunade's side. She skidded against the ground, dirt and rocks rubbing into her injured arm. Her voice ripped through the air. Trying to send chakra to her arm proved futile as the chakra poured out of the cuts and dispersed into the air.

"Fucking fuck," she cursed, standing up, her entire left side bleeding. She pulled a piece of sharkskin out of her neck and threw it at Kisame, not really aiming. With a burst of speed she spun around while running, sending blood speckles all over the place. She put out her foot and stopped herself. "Blood Points Disturbance." The blood littering the area crackled and sparked, sending electric bolts at a wet Zabuza. He cursed when the volts coursed through his body, making him twitch uncontrollably.

Tsunade took the opportunity to weaken Kisame, carefully avoiding Samehada and getting close enough to execute a series of punches that stunned him for a moment. "Painful Sky Leg!" she yelled, forcing his head down into her powered-up knee. Force made him go up, but her hand forced him down and his head threw back and he fell.

Zabuza charged her from behind. She turned and ducked his sword, rolling out of the way. He stomped the ground and puddles surrounded her foot. She slipped and rolled again, this time coupled with a back flip. "Earth Style: Platform." A piece of earth jutted out of the ground and she landed on it dryly.

"Water Clone Jutsu!" Kisame split into two of himself, both carrying Samehada and looking equally dangerous. Tsunade dodged an attack by one and punched, missing his cloak by inches.

"Mystical Palm Technique!" Chakra flowed around her hand and she punched one of the Kisames. He yelled and exploded into a puddle. She ran over the puddle at the real Kisame, punching at him. He moved out of the way and she spun and tried again, this time barreling forward and running towards Zabuza as well.

"Don't think about it, bitch!" he yelled and used his greatsword as a shield against the dangerous attack. He pushed her back and swiped—she jumped up onto the blade and spun away. The jutsu had died. She had hoped to sever their arm muscles at least before it ran out of energy.

Pausing to think of a new technique to use against the water-based men, she noticed an attack by Kisame. She avoided it, but barely. The clothing on her back was sopping wet; it was weighing her down. She kicked Zabuza away and went to jump away from Kisame's oncoming Samehada, but the water slowed her move by a second and the formidable sword hit her straight in the side.

The material dug into her skin and she yelped and went flying, skidding on the cold ground. Her head began to hurt and she held it, dizzy.

Zabuza rushed her while she was disoriented, grabbing her by the hair and tossing her over his shoulder. She flew at Kisame, who also took her by her hair. Her feet dangled towards the ground and she struggled to get out of his grasp.

He seemed to like the view of her hard nipples poking against her soaked shirt. He brought her close. He reeked of fish. "You shouldn't have picked on us, bitch." His tongue ran up her cheek, leaving some slimy residue that made her gag. She growled and kicked, but his head went down to her exposed neck.

"What—NO!" she screamed, but his jagged teeth sunk into her soft flesh, very hard and deep. Pain exploded in her head and she went blind as choked screams ripped out of her bloody throat. He began to jerk his head back and forth, digging deeper and deeper into her neck and ripped out layer and layer of flesh until he hit her collarbone. Her skin went white when he dug into that.

Something ran straight through her gut. She couldn't look down, all Tsunade could stare at was the darkening sky and pray that she wasn't going to die. Zabuza's sword had run her through. Shaking her head, she starting muttering something under her breath.

"P-Painful Sky Leg," she choked, kicked Kisame away from her. His teeth hooked on her skin and ripped it away. Blood poured up from her gaping wounds and ran like a waterfall all down half her body. She kicked Zabuza away as well and grabbed the greatsword caught in her body, and pulled it out with a scream. She fell to the ground, now stained with blood and mud, clutching herself as she sat on her knees, coughing up what seemed like gallons of blood, all coming from her torn throat. She could barely breathe.

_I-I underestimated them...they're a lot stronger than I thought. Why...w-why did I have to t-take them for granted? Do I think e-everyone who comes into Konoha i-i-i-is weak?_ She coughed up more blood, the copper taste dribbling down her lips. _Looks like I'll have to...to resort to THAT._

"Don't think we're going to watch you die slowly," Zabuza seethed. "Our policy is to make sure they're good and dead before we walk away."

Kisame towered over her and held up Samehada. "Goodnight."

He thrust it down at her. With a twitch, her arm flew up and her hand caught the blade shaking inches from her face. She gripped it tightly and felt the skin digging into her. Wincing, she shook her head, tearing.

"What is this?!" he asked, trying to tug Samehada away. The kunoichi held on fast. "Don't...say...goodnight to me," she hissed. "I'm not...finished with you scumbags."

Tsunade's free hand went up to the dot mark on her forehead. She closed her eyes. "Shadow Seal: Release!"

_Maybe I'm cheating, _she thought with a smirk, _but at least I won't die._

The dot glowed blue and chakra poured out of its tiny vicinity. Her whole body began to glow with the incredible amount of energy flowing out of what seemed to be a storage unit. She pushed Samehada and Kisame away and stood up, moving her hands around quickly.

Four voices erupted through the battlefield. She looked over and saw Team 7 approaching her at high speed, looking frenetic. Though being unable to speak, she shook her head.

Kakashi paused and threw his arm out, stopping the three students.

"Why are we stopping? Tsunade's in trouble!" Naruto yelled.

"...I don't quite think so," the teacher mused. "Stay here. She wants it."

The two criminals didn't pay heed to the newcomers, focused on the glowing spectacle that was Tsunade. "What is she doing? Stop her!" Zabuza barked, and he ran at her along with his partner. They jumped for a double strike.

"Creation Rebirth!" she yelled, and the chakra exploded in beams of light that traveled up and down her body in the form of various kanji and unidentifiable characters, covering her entire body. The strange encasing that concealed her blew back both men's attacks.

The chakra faded slowly. Zabuza and Kisame were afraid to approach her. When their eyes were set upon her form again, they were speechless.

"How...how the fuck did you do that?!" Kisame barked.

Naruto's mouth hung wide open. Tsunade was poised upright, hands on her hips, with nary a wound decorating her body. What had once stained her clothing red and sent immeasurable amounts of pain throughout her being had disappeared.

She felt her neck; where a ripped mess had been before, now there was perfect skin. She had no trace of ever falling victim to Kisame's jaws or Samehada. With a growl, she cracked her knuckles. "I'm done playing with both of you."

Zabuza roared and tore after her, his sword slicing the ground as he paved the path towards her. Meeting her was the sharp end of his sword. She stepped up and kicked the sword. It tore from his hand and flew into a tree thirty feet away.

"You _do _know I have superhuman strength, right?" she asked, cracking her neck. Without waiting for a reply, she curled her hand and punched him in the face, her mouth breaking through his lips and teeth and hitting the back of his throat. He gagged on her fist and pulled away, collapsing and spitting up blood and teeth. She pulled out a kunai and held it up to his throat as she mounted him.

"D-Don't kill me!" he pleaded, twisting around underneath her.

With a smirk, she raised the kunai as if to strike him. He winced and she turned around, throwing the kunai and embedding it into the head of an approaching Kisame.

He stopped and blinked, pawing around his head. She stood up and attacked Kisame, kicking him across the head and deepening the kunai. He yowled and struck her with Samehada; the graze hurt but she wrestled the sword out of his grip and ran it through his chest.

He screamed and his eyes bulged out of his head. Tsunade pulled the sword out of him and out came his heart, shredded from the sharkskin and attached to the sword. She turned and walked to Zabuza. Shaking her head, she delivered the same punishment to him, this time leaving the sword inside him.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu," she said, torching both bodies.

With that, she collapsed on the wet, blood-covered earth, breathing heavily.

Naruto goggled at her. As the two criminals burned and she caught her breath, he saw a sight that he realized he'd have to witness the rest of his life as a ninja. Life against life, morals against morals, ready to fight to the death and do what was necessary to come out victorious. She had killed two ninja without listening to their pleading...knowing they would have done the same given the chance.

Fights did end quickly and strangely. Most fights were very anticlimactic. They weren't meant to give a show. They were mean to get a job done—killing. Tsunade had strength unlike anyone he had ever known.

It moved him, to see her sitting amongst death, blood-soaked but uninjured, a sort of sadness in her eyes that was more from her suffering than from theirs. She stood up and he wanted to applaud her, for her courage in battle. For her determination; for her willingness to put her life on the line to protect whatever she had been protecting.

She looked at them and flashed a tired smile.

In the next hour they had buried the bodies. Ioshi couldn't thank her enough for her patronage. Tsunade took the compliments with passive thanks, looking like she just wanted to go home and change.

Team 7 accompanied her home, all talking about what they had witnessed. She assured them she hadn't been so indestructible at the battle's start.

"Tsunade, you have wrinkles," Naruto observed, looking at her face closely.

Her amber eyes avoided his stare. "Stop looking. I had to use up my chakra reserves. It cut my lifespan a little. Don't look at me; I'll fix it up later."

"It cut your lifespan?! That's crazy!" Sakura awed.

"Better than dying a few years earlier than dying in a few seconds," she said wisely.

"Did Lord Sarutobi fight as cool as you when he was younger?" Naruto asked.

She didn't answer. The mention of her ex-sensei brought up an important thought. _The next leader of Konoha. I talked to Kakashi about it before, and we both know Sarutobi-sensei can't do it. But now...now I think I know who can. These three are looking for someone to look up to, just like everyone else. People think I'm strong and trustworthy. When they needed it they did seek out my help. If I fit the stereotype...maybe that next leader should be me._

She laughed a little. _What the hell are you getting yourself into, Tsunade?_

Tsunade spent the rest of the walk alone after Team 7 dropped themselves off at Ichiraku for dinner. She thought it'd be nice to take a bath and eat some half-cooked dinner before crashing.

She appreciated Konoha's dim lights a lot more. As she walked down the disheveled streets, she imagined how it would look once she made it great. As if she'd make it great. She didn't have the proper training, but she knew the job could get done. For once, she saw Konoha as a place of opportunity, not of hindrance. Maybe there was a way to clear it of its hovels and bring in the gold.

Down a bar-lined street she noticed someone rummaging through garbage bins laid out on the side of the road. She sighed. _This will take work..._

The person straightened herself out and came out holding a half-eaten cheeseburger. Eyeing it hungrily, she devoured it on the spot, loud munching sounds permeating the air. Her attire was beyond dirty. Not even flies would want to approach her. Tsunade sniffed, and lurched from the smell wafting from her.

The woman's dull eyes fixated on the approaching kunoichi. They widened and shook, and she dropped the remains of the bun.

Tsunade stopped, suddenly uncomfortable. Was she in a drunken stupor? "Can I help you?"

"...Y...Y...YOUUUUUUUUUUUU!" she screamed, running at Tsunade in blind fury.

"What the fuck?!" Tsunade dodged her stampeded and held her arms up defensively. "Are you drunk, lady?"

"HOW DARE YOU COME BACK HERE, YOU BITCH!" The woman swiped at Tsunade again, but tripped and fell. She coughed and remained on the ground, sitting up lazily. She jerked away from the older woman's outstretched hand. "DON'T TOUCH ME!"

"I don't think you're in your right mind. I don't know you..." Tsunade began.

This only coaxed more screams from the befouled thing. "You don't KNOW ME? Oh, OOOOHHHH that's very fucking FUNNY, you bitch. Of course you don't remember ME! You LEFT ME HERE TO ROT and you left with the money. THE MONEY!" She scrambled up, using a lamppost for support.

Tsunade's forehead broke out in cold sweat as unpleasant memories rose up from the depths of her brain. "Y-You...what do you mean?"

"YOU STOLE IT ALL! FOR YOURSELF! I knew you didn't care about me...it was ALL about DAN!" She teetered and hiccupped, moving away from Tsunade.

_DAN!_

Suddenly the woman looked very familiar, terribly familiar. Fifteen years was a lot of time for a person to grow. "Shizune?!"

The blonde approached the drunk lady, but she kicked her away. "DON'T TOUCH ME, you thieving bitch! I never WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! Burn in HELL!"

With that, Shizune took off fast but wobbly down the road. Tsunade wanted to chase after her, but the bars were beginning to empty and she was lost when she stepped through the crowd.

"Shizune? SHIZUNE!"

**XxXxXx**

Yay, more fic for everyone! I've been heavily into the production of this wonderful epic that I'm weaving and unfortunately my _Unknown Deceit _fans will not be happy to know that I've been spending more time on this than that...

This was a heavy Naruto and Tsunade chapter. I actually wasn't planning on the little kyuubi segment, but I decided to add some angst with Gaara.

Speaking of Gaara, the SAND SIBS ARE HERE! Yay! I've never been excited about them, really. They're good characters but they never caught on for me. But now I'm really excited to write more about them, because Gaara is a really interesting character.

The little training segment for Team 7 was for a quick character development area. I know they've gotten plenty of bonding but since Naruto was the focus of this chapter I thought it would break from the rhythm if I made it Kiba or something. Speaking of him, look's like he'll have to watch out if Hinata would brave kyuubi's wrath to stay with Naruto!

Konohamaru was introduced fully too. I'll touch on him more in later chapters.

Ah, that was a fun fight scene. Bet you didn't think Kisame or Zabuza would be in this fic? I thought it'd be cool to add them, because they're cool characters and I've been doing a bunch of cameos. Tsunade kicked their asses though...and now they're kinda dead. But hey, that's what you get for messing with the Legendary Sucker! Tell me how the scene was! I'd like some insight on my fighting scenes.

Whew, school is tiring. AP U.S. History is a lot of work. Couple that with British Literature Honors and it's crazy

See you next chapter!


	12. Sins from a Mortal Tongue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
****Slight AU warning.  
****Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!**

Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja trigger a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?

Note: _Italicized lines _often mean thoughts of a character or in some cases dreams. **Bolded lines **often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. _**Bolded italicized lines**_often mean flashbacks.

The Author Speaks: There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information given.There will be limes/_possible _lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes.

Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except all the characters are two years older than before the time-skip in the series (13 is 15, 26 is 28, etc). Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire.

Definitions:

Seppuku – Japanese form of suicide by stabbing oneself and wrenching the sword to the side. Usually, a friend is nearby to kill him if he is not able to follow through.

Songs:

"Your Rain" by _Melissa Williamson_ (as heard in Silent Hill 4: The Room) +random fact: Melissa Williamson, aka Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, plays Kurenai in the English Naruto  
"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by _Green Day  
_"Sing for the Moment" by _Eminem_

**Show Me a Hero**

_**Chapter 12 – Sins from a Mortal Tongue**_

Sakura entered Tsunade's three-days-a-week class hopeful, and came out knowing a lot more about things she hadn't even heard about. Tsunade kept up her learning with their three-hour sessions after each lesson, though the teacher seemed distracted as she trained the young kunoichi.

It so happened that her life had changed significantly from the many months ago when she began her career as a kunoichi. Moving from a humble persona to that of a fist-shaking young lady, she felt and acted older. Her parents had acknowledged her growth during their quick visit back home, and decided to move to Mirai for their remaining years. This amused Sakura, because they acted like they were old when her mother hadn't even hit thirty-five. Glad that their judgment was out of her hair, Sakura remained attentive on her studies and her job, bringing home a paycheck every other week for the bills that Sasuke struggled to pay with his own two jobs.

Her busy week prevented her from seeing Sasuke so much. Sasuke left the house at seven to work, and Sakura left at eight. Classes began on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday at three until six, and afterwards Sakura stayed with Tsunade until nine for her training. By the time she came home, Sasuke had already made and eaten dinner and was studying upstairs, or training outside. She was normally too tired to join him, and so their relationship had strayed. In fact, Sakura was seeing a separation of Team 7 as a whole. She was normally at Tsunade's sessions while they all practiced, and Naruto had been forced to take some will-strengthening class led by Ibiki Morino as a result of the kyuubi scare a few weeks earlier.

Sakura cherished her friendships, and hoped that everything would work itself out after she took the M.N.A.E. (Medical Ninja Assessment Exam) in the summer, and became an official medical-ninja.

It happened to be a day where the snow had melted significantly, so they had practiced in the fields. Tsunade had deliberately slashed herself up and avoided Sakura's healing attempts, in order to show that some ninja, when hurt, will still insist on fighting. The off feeling of Tsunade's demeanor worried Sakura, and she quickly pointed it out at the end of practice.

"I'm overworked, tired, and on my period. Of course I'm distracted," she replied curtly.

"Oh." She was embarrassed to continue her probing, and picked up her bag to leave.

Tsunade contemplated what she said, and called out for her to stop. She beckoned the young woman into the academy, where they made themselves comfortable in her classroom. Tsunade sorted a stack of papers and started grading them, marking them with black pen. One paper was sitting apart from the rest. Sakura eyed it, and noticed her name printed neatly at the top.

"You're missing a paper," she remarked.

"I graded it already. No marks necessary. You're very in-depth with your work. I didn't ask for a paragraph on each question, you know," the blond woman replied with a slight smirk. Clearing her throat, she continued grading. "You're a remarkable student, Sakura. I can see where your talent lies."

Sakura blushed. "Don't flatter me..."

She rolled her eyes. "Everyone says that. You know you want to be flattered, and you goddamn enjoy it. You don't get compliments a lot, so take this one and take it seriously. This is a famous healer who's praising you." Tsunade stood up. "Let's be going. I have someplace to be, and you have to sleep."

They parted ways. Tsunade inserted her hands into her pockets, wary of the cold weather. The alleyways were calling her into their narrow grasp, but she fought the urge to poke around. The fear of seeing the drunken bag lady called Shizune haunted her mind, and she ducked into a bar.

It was dimly lit and depressing, as most bars were, but this one was special because it was the one she decided to settle herself in. Walking to the stools scattered around the counter pockmarked with beer stains and lack of coasters, she sat down and ordered a beer from the greasy bartender, avoiding looking at the other occupants directly in the face.

She managed to get her beer without disturbance. Beer was a delicious beverage, but the price of loving it too much was quite a sacrifice for just a drink. Sobering herself up had taken a long time, but she was fairly certain she could trust herself.

A man who had been sitting across the bar took a seat next to hers, offering body heat that wasn't uncomfortably set; more familiar. Kakashi was holding hard lemonade in his rough, gloved hands, and had a smile on his face that for once was not hidden underneath his mask.

"Getting drunk too?" he asked in a cheerful manner.

"Drunk? No. Drinking, yes." Tsunade smiled at him, enjoying his unexpected company.

"Would you prefer it if I left?"

She wished him to stay, and he did so. "What are you here for?" he asked. "I'm going to say it's not for the pleasant environment." He looked over at a group of rowdy men.

"Maybe I'm trying to score with some random man. Perhaps I'm nothing but a little slut and being seen with me defaces you and labels you a man-whore," Tsunade suggested.

He gave her a lopsided smile. "Yes, because we all know the heroine of inns who kills missing-nin would be a slut. Besides, I've already been defaced once. I don't need it again."

"What happened, might I ask?"

His answer was unexpected. "My dad committed seppuku at the public park."

"...Oh..." She had been expecting him to say something like he had gotten drunk and ended up in a brawl.

"...Have you ever been defaced, Tsunade?"

His eyes pierced her mind, and she looked away from it. "No. I've never had to suffer with my shame going public. It's a stupid thing to think about, now...but seeing Shizune, it just triggered it all back up, and I can't stop thinking about it."

"About what, or who?"

Tsunade looked at him solemnly. "I saw Shizune."

Kakashi quieted. He tilted the lemonade in between his lips and didn't stop drinking until the bottle was empty. "I figured you'd find her eventually. She doesn't really care where she ends up, as long as there's food."

"What the hell happened? They had an estate and everything. Did Sarutobi take it away? I don't get it...Dan had her down as his benefactor..." Tsunade shook her head, holding it, growing agitated. "I wanted to run away from the misery, not come back and see that it grew."

"Shizune was pretty distraught when Nawaki was murdered." Kakashi shut his mouth immediately after saying that, realizing the subject he had just touched upon was an overly personal one.

Tsunade twitched, but did not call him on his nonchalant statement. "Yes, you think I don't know that?"

"...It really has to kill you, deep down...to know that Nawaki and Dan's killers were never found. And then suddenly his father dying like that, and Dan's empty bank account...Shizune inherited nothing, not even the estate. She didn't have a deed, she was left with nothing. She was able to live there until they knocked it down to make apartment buildings, and from then on she was homeless. People have tried to take her in, but she refuses to trust anyone." Kakashi sighed. "To go through such horror, and not even find some comfort in a home..."

He paused, hearing melancholy sounds coming from his friend. Looking into her face, he saw tears dripping from her lashes. His hands flew to her shoulders and he hugged her close, standing up and throwing money on the counter before getting her out of there before she was harassed. His hand stayed around her shoulder as they walked to his home.

"This is all my fault," she confessed, sobbing. "I didn't want it to end up like that...I swear to God...now Shizune's homeless and it's my fault, because I'm a giant bitch who thinks money is as expendable as air."

"Whoah, relax," Kakashi crooned, rocking her a little as they walked through the cold streets. "What happened? Money? You're not saying you took her money?"

"Of course I took her money," Tsunade moaned, her eyes puffy. "I took it all, but even I didn't know that it was her inheritance...why did Dan do that to me? Why did he do that to Shizune?"

The teacher stared down at her, puzzled and slightly disturbed by this information. He couldn't antagonize her, it felt wrong, but to hear such a thing worried him. Though it was a particularly selfish request, he clutched her tightly. "Tell me what you're talking about. Please."

It took a minute for her to compose herself, but Tsunade finally stopped hiccupping. The streets seemed quieter now, as if they wind had hushed down for her so she could spill her heart out. She looked up at Kakashi with trust-filled eyes.

"You know Dan...right?" She didn't wait for him to reply. "His father, well, we all know how he was the richest man in town. Lived a life of luxury, he did. Large estate, good holdings, everything. People wondered why..."

"They don't wonder anymore. His underground gambling was uprooted after his death," Kakashi said.

Tsunade laughed, scuffling her feet against the ground as they walked. "I was a part of that ring. I've always loved money, you know, because I never had a lot of it. I was twenty-six, bored with life, with a four-year old little brother and no parents. Dan's father invited me to become part of the ring as long as I didn't tell anyone."

"I had the best time there, and I grew to be friends with his rich son, Dan. Though...I should really say Dan was infatuated with me and I liked having an open wallet with me wherever I went."

"I loved gambling, it was so enticing. It's such a good feeling to win through luck. Nothing ninja about it, just pure luck. Luck was on my side sometimes, sometimes it wasn't, so I'd go hungry while Nawaki was nice and healthy. I couldn't let my little brother starve because I was having a bad day."

She found the front door of her house and opened it, beckoning Kakashi in and throwing all choice items to the side before sitting near her empty fireplace. He joined her, listening intently.

"I'd bring Nawaki to Dan's estate all the time. He made the best dinners, and they were free, so why not partake?" She laughed, lighting the fireplace. "That's when Nawaki met Shizune. They were so funny, both of them bickering and just being children. It was kinda annoying sometimes, but more so to Dan than me."

"There were times when I'd end up in debt because of my gambling. Dan would always be around to pay for it, slipping me money for life's needs along with debt money. I...I never knew where he got the money..." her voice trailed off for a minute, a lump growing in her throat. It took her a few swallows to get her composure back, but she laughed lightly to shake off her nerves.

"Dan put too much faith in his father's money...but that explanation will come later. For now, let's go back to the happy times." She used a one-handed ninjutsu to cast the wood in her fireplace into crackling flames, lighting up the dark house and warming both their faces. "Alright, so now I'm thirty-six. Ten years went by doing this—gambling and taking money from Dan, letting Nawaki and Shizune play with each other."

"Hold on a minute," Kakashi interrupted. "Nawaki's...fourteen now?"

She smiled bitterly. "Yes. It was _that _year. You were just starting the three-year Gennin class of the ninja academy. He had just one more year to go, and there was nothing more exciting to him."

"_**Sister!" Nawaki called as he ran from the academy gates through the darkening grounds.**_

_**Tsunade was leaning against the gate, yawning, breath heavy with sake. The gambling house had held sake tasting, and she couldn't help herself. It wasn't every day she could taste expensive alcohol. "Brother, why are you excited? Another perfect score on whatever you were doing?"**_

"_**Of course," he bragged. "But no! During physical training, I got to see the Gennin coming back from a mission, it was so cool! They were all dressed up with these scrolls and weapons, oh you should have seen it!"**_

"_**I've seen it before, believe me." She smiled. "You're excited about that huh? Just don't get too impatient, or the year will drag on and on."**_

_**He pouted. "You know I'm gonna be the best ninja ever. Right, Tsunade?"**_

_**She patted him on the head. "Of course."**_

"...That evening, I went to the gambling house again to try my luck for some dinner money. One of the parlors was completely empty, except for two men fixing a roulette table; and by fixing, I mean setting up for failure." She bowed her head towards the fire. "So of course, instead of ducking away quietly, I make a scene to get their attention, and being the even stupider bitch I was, I demanded them give me money to keep quiet."

Kakashi's eyes widened. "Blackmailing gamblers? Are you joking?!"

"I wish I was, I really do. Hell, I didn't think it was a big deal. I wasn't going to actually tell anyone, I just wanted some dinner money. Besides, I knew better than to play at the roulette table again."

She paused again. The fire crackled lazily as she stared into it, mesmerized by nothing in particular. Her gaze hit the floor. "...Nawaki went to school the next day, and I went to the gambling house for the evening. I thought Dan would be there, and I needed some money to gamble with."

_**Tsunade yawned, trudging home. The house had been fairly quiet that day. Dan wasn't anywhere to be found, but then again he hated gambling.**_

"_**If he hates it so much, why does he bother with me?" she wondered out loud, taking a drag of a cigarette she had bummed off a woman playing blackjack there. Her pocket was fat with money, so she thought it'd be a treat to take Nawaki out for a milkshake when she got home. Then again, the boy was very dedicated; he'd rather be doing his homework or training than bother with a measly milkshake.**_

_**She unlocked the front of her house when she got to it, swinging open the door. It was unnaturally dark. Nawaki preferred running up the electricity bill by keeping on every light in the house. Tsunade threw off her coat and quickly buttoned up her dress and kicked off her stilettos underneath the cloth-covered side table. She walked up the stairs and took out the money. "Nawaki!" she called, nearly tripping up the stairs by the lack of light. "Let's go out tonight if you're not busy! We can buy some milkshakes at Amaguriama."**_

_**The door to his room was open and emitting the only light in the house. Tsunade peeked in and saw his desk unoccupied. She opened the door further and stepped in. "Are you taking a shower or something?" she asked, looking around. The bed was empty, but the room looked strangely unsettled.**_

_**She frowned as a sharp smell hit her. It was...coppery. Her mind froze for a second as she thought of when she had last smelled something like that, and the only thing that came to her mind was when she was last on a mission. Her heart sunk in her chest, though she wasn't sure why, as she moved past his bed and looked down at the floor.**_

_**A scream ripped through the house as she jumped back, shaking. The money slipped out of her hands and floated gracefully to the floor, right into the blood coating it.**_

_**Nawaki was sprawled amidst the blood, eyes open in complete horror, hair matted with blood leaking out his head. It looked as if someone had taken an axe to the boy; his face was so flayed with slashes he was unrecognizable. His small hands gripped a fountain pen that was sticky with dark blood, and a kunai was shoved through his nose. Money had been stuffed in his mouth.**_

Kakashi couldn't look at her. The visual she had described made him sick, even though he had seen worse in his life. He had never known Nawaki had been so mangled. The state of his body had been seen by no one but Tsunade, who had cremated him before his funeral. Everyone thought it was a self-training session gone wrong...

Stoic eyes stared at him. "Now you know. It was murder. And I knew, I knew it was those two men I blackmailed. They wouldn't have mocked me with money otherwise. I remember Shizune crying at his funeral. I never wanted her to know he was dead because of me. Dan wanted to comfort me, but no one could help me. I lived two years in utter guilt, knowing that my little brother had been murdered because of my stupidity. He'd never graduate from the academy. He'd never fulfill his dream of becoming the strongest ninja ever."

Her hands tightened into fists. "I couldn't let those two bastards get away with murder. I went back to the parlor, looking for them. I always came out disappointed, but at least Dan was there to comfort me...with money. He wanted to help in any way possible. Again, he put too much confidence in his dad's business...and too much confidence in me."

"After two years, I finally met those men again. They were smoking in an empty lounge. Of course, the gambling ring was closed, but being a ninja, it wasn't too hard to sneak in."

"_**YOU!" Tsunade screamed, pulling out a sword as she aimed at the two men lounging in the room.**_

_**They looked at her with contempt. One of them, a fat man with a silver mustache, sneered. "It's the girl with the squealing pig of a brother."**_

_**She shook miserably as she moved side-to-side around the parlor. "Don't talk about him like that. SHUT THE FUCK UP!" she roared, rushing at them.**_

"_**Looks like we'll have to add a casualty to the job," the other one said, pulling out a knife and lunging at her throat.**_

_**Tsunade felt someone grab her and throw her to the ground. She collided with the floor, her sword catching her arm and scratching her painfully. Sitting up, dazed, she looked up, shielding herself with her elbows.**_

_**Dan was standing exactly where Tsunade had been before, with a knife right underneath his throat. His eyes were open with terror at the two men; he twitched.**_

"_**Don't...don't hurt Tsunade...she...she's too...too good to leave this world..." he gargled, blood rising over his lips. He kicked the man's stomach, dislodging the knife in his boot, shooting it through both of them, before sinking to his knees.**_

_**Tsunade was eye-level with him, and very confused. It was exactly like the night when she had wanted to drink milkshakes with Nawaki. For some reason, everything hurt, and she was slow to the realization.**_

_**Dan crawled to her, smiling gently, his sputtering laugh haunting her ears. "T-Tsunade...I want to...marry you...someday...give you all the money in the world...I loved you more than I would...love...any dollar...yet for some reason...I see nothing but greed in your eyes...but I believe there's kindness in them too..." He grabbed her face and pulled her in for a bloody kiss, smearing the liquid all over her face. "...We've got barely any money left...poor...p-poor Shizune..."**_

_**His face sunk into her legs, and he hung there in an off crouching position, as if her were bowing to her. She screamed and kicked him off, and the knife went deeper into his collarbone, protruding through to the other side.**_

_**Her vision grew blurry as she heard footsteps stampeding down into the parlor. The door banged open and Dan's father rushed in, holding a sword. "What is this racket?!" he demanded, surveying the scene and seeing his son dead on the floor.**_

_**Tsunade swayed as she stood up, giving him a heart attack. Her hair hung bloody in her face, and her eyes stared maliciously at him, sword still in hand for the both of them.**_

_**  
"...It...It wasn't supposed to go this way," he stammered. "My...my son was never supposed to get in the way of this. You weren't supposed to be so insistent, you bitch! Wasn't the death of your brother enough to make you realize that you shouldn't play with the elite?!"**_

"_**...You're the one who was...fixing the tables...because...you were losing money." She started laughing miserably, tears streaming down her face in red waterfalls, dyed with blood. "My brother dies from my mistake, and your son dies from yours..."**_

_**  
She threw the sword at him, straight through his heart, not caring about any fancy sort of revenge. She just wanted to go home and sleep, sleep forever, to die perhaps. Dan's father was never a ninja and he fell immediately without any effort.**_

_**Tsunade stood in the moonlit parlor, dead bodies strewn around her. All she cared about was leaving, but she couldn't bring herself to move.**_

"_**You...YOU BASTARDS!"**_

Tsunade wiped the tears from her face consistently, weeping. "A-After that...I left Konoha as soon as I could after an anonymous tip-off about a gambling house. The estate was possessed by the village, and I now know that Shizune was left with what dismal amount of money they had managed to get out of the family account. Because Shizune wasn't under the list of owners, she couldn't even live in her own house, could she?"

"...She lived there for a little while, until they actually tore the place down. That's when she took to the streets," Kakashi confirmed, voice weak.

"...All that money Dan was giving me, it all came from the account his entire family shared. He cared about me so much that he'd even selfishly provide me with everything, just so I could be happy. I don't want to even think about how much money I wasted on gambling. Because it was their money I was gambling with, they weren't gaining profit from me. It was all recycling..." She sniffled, burying her head in Kakashi's shoulder. "I'm so sorry...please, please don't hate me..."

He sat quietly, putting an arm around her and rubbing her back. "Let it out, Tsunade. Let me know how you feel. Mistakes destroy many things. Look at Konoha; it's a perfect example. That doesn't mean you can't fix it. You shouldn't give up until it's really too late."

"No, Kakashi, you haven't been listening..." she sniffled, laughing a little. "I didn't...I didn't really care about Shizune, or Dan. All I cared about is getting money. I never really thought much of them, and when Nawaki died...there were parts of me that wanted to see revenge...and you know what? When Dan was killed...there was this sick piece of my heart that knew that I had, in some strange way, gotten revenge. A son's life for a brother's life."

"Tsunade, I..." he couldn't think of any way to mend her woes.

She shook away from him angrily, before collapsing onto his shoulder again. "I don't want any goddamn advice! I just want someone to talk to. Stop lecturing me," she sniffled.

Kakashi held her, and listened, to everything she had to say. She needed a shoulder to cry on, and he was happy to help.

**XxXxXx**

Naruto walked out of the academy building, looking peeved. Another three hours wasted learning about seal-strengthening jutsu that he didn't understand and personally didn't care about. The kyuubi wasn't about to pop out. However, it was that boy in the market—the one with the bloodlust eyes—that worried him.

"They've got the wrong guy," Naruto muttered to himself as he trudged down the street, avoiding the judging eyes of the citizens that were sparked with recent worry. He already missed the short time in his life when he was hailed as a member of Team 7. Now, he was "the kyuubi boy" once again.

Ichiraku Ramen's dim lights beckoned his depressed soul. He threw himself on a stool, tired. Teuchi put down a dishrag and looked at him, worried.

"What," Naruto murmured without the intention of him hearing, "you worried I'm gonna rip your store to shreds?"

Teuchi frowned. "Actually, I was going to ask why you're in a slump, but if you want to take that attitude with me I'd be happy to oblige."

Regret washed over Naruto. "I'm sorry…I'm just in a bad mood…"

"So I can see. I suppose I'm stupid to ask that question. It's the kyuubi thing, right? I heard about that. Poor kid," he remarked, starting to make a bowl of plain ramen.

"I can't believe it happened to me in the middle of the goddamn street," he moaned. "Of all the places…it's never even happened to me before! There was something that bothered it, what was I supposed to do? He can't get out, but he wouldn't let me move."

Two teenagers walking down the street yelled at Naruto. "Stupid kyuubi! Go crawl in a ditch and stay away from us!"

The elder owner didn't move from his ramen, but he sighed. "Intolerance brews in the worst of places, emotionally and literally. You've been hardened though, right?"

"Yeah, sure," the boy replied, distracted by the yelling.

"Damn kyuubi!"

"Stay away from my children!"

"Drop dead so we can breathe easy!"

"HEY!" Teuchi yelled, leaning over the counter. "SAY THAT AGAIN AND I'LL BEAT YOUR ASS RIGHT INTO THE GARBAGE DUMP!"

Naruto stared at him, amazed. "Old man, you don't have to be so…modern for me."

"It distracts me from my cooking," Teuchi joked.

Naruto smiled, and a group of schoolchildren appeared in the road in front of Ichiraku. He recognized Konohamaru immediately. A boy and a girl accompanied him; the girl had bushy orange pigtails and the boy sported a bowl-cut with what seemed like a perpetually runny nose. They seemed to be sticking very close to him, and the little girl was holding his hand as Konohamaru, pale as ever, slowly walked up to Ichiraku.

The three children looked at the teen for a second, smiling at him shyly. Naruto's heart lifted. _At least somebody likes me._

They all sat on stools nearby, legs dangling above the floor. Teuchi treated them gently as he asked for their orders, nodding patiently as it took them minutes to figure out what they wanted.

Konohamaru glanced at Naruto, eyes sunken and glazed. "H-Hello Naruto," he said, small voice just barely above a whisper.

"Hey!" he replied cheerfully. "What's up? You feelin' okay buddy?"

Konohamaru nodded. The girl next to him piped up. "He's just tired from walking around all day, Mr. Uzumaki."

Naruto blushed. "Y-You don't have to be so formal," he stammered, embarrassed. "It's just Naruto."

The girl giggled, and Konohamaru pointed to them. "These are my friends, Udon and Moegi."

Naruto grinned at both of them, slurping up some ramen Teuchi had served hot for him. "Do you guys go to Konohamaru's school?"

The girl Moegi blushed a little, looking at her pale friend. "Y-Yes, but we're going to join the ninja academy next year, Udon and I."

Konohamaru darkened. Naruto wondered why he wasn't allowed to be a ninja when he would someday rule Konoha, but he didn't think it was right to bring it up. "Well that's cool. You guys will do great."

"Hey!" a skater shouted from the street, holding his board on his shoulder. "When you masturbate, does your cock try to kill you?!" He laughed and whizzed away.

Naruto frowned. "Now that was just retarded."

Udon sniffled, taking a napkin and wiping his runny nose. "Gosh, why are they so mean to you?"

The kyuubi-boy looked at him incredulously. "Are you kidding? My exploit on the street that one day has made national news, I swear."

"You mean when you went all crazy? I don't see why they need to think you're dangerous. Everyone gets out of control sometimes." He gathered the snot running down his face and wiped it on a napkin.

Naruto looked at him, a little disgusted by the crust that was appearing around one nostril, but he didn't pursue it, gladdened that someone understood his plight even if they were just kids.

Konohamaru coughed feebly, shaking his head. "Naruto, don't be so worried about what people are saying about you. It's not like it affects anything."

_Wrong, kid,_ Naruto thought grimly. _It's going to take a while to build trust back up. I just hope we get a mission soon…_

He finished his ramen and started to head home, the night air cool against his skin. It was pleasant when less people were out to bother him. He walked with the three kids; Moegi and Udon were considerably ahead as they threw a little bouncy ball back and forth, giggling.

Konohamaru kept close to Naruto, nearly holding onto his shirt. The boy was short for his age, and it baffled Naruto why he couldn't go to the academy. He walked silently with him, not really sure what to say, until the boy piped up.

"Naruto, do you think you could train me?"

That was the last thing he expected to hear. "W-What?" he stammered incredulously.

"I can't go to the academy, but I've always wanted to be a ninja. Maybe if I work hard enough I can convince Grandpa that I'm able enough to be one. He doesn't think, cuz I'm sick and all, that I could handle it, but I can! Naruto, teach me please, I wanna prove myself to him!"

He was sick? As Naruto observed him, he nearly hit himself in the face when the glaring obviousness of the statement screamed out to him. Konohamaru was frail, pale, and perpetually tired. He walked slowly, and he even limped every now and then. He was soft-spoken, and didn't seem to eat much.

Immediately the kyuubi boy jumped at the chance to teach someone. To him, there was nothing greater than a chance to teach ninjutsu. But an obstacle was in the way. If Lord Sarutobi would not allow him into the academy, then teaching him could be dangerous to his health.

And yet, as Naruto looked at Konohamaru with his big, pleading eyes, he saw a determination that matched his own. It was so difficult to disappoint someone who wanted to reach his goal so badly it hurt. Naruto had remembered those days. Naruto didn't want to take hope away from him.

"Yeah, sure."

Konohamaru smiled happily, his ghostly face bright. He jumped on Naruto, hugging him with clammy hands around his waist. "T-Thank you Naruto! Oh, thank you so much! You're the best person I know, honestly!"

Naruto blushed, his conscience buried underneath the prospect of achieving someone's dream. "So, when are you free?" he asked.

"On Mondays and Thursdays Grandpa lets me out of the house at four. I gotta be home by five-thirty. And on weekends, I can be out from two to six."

_Do they really keep the kid cooped up like that? Doesn't seem right…_Naruto smiled. "Okay, Mondays and Thursdays it is. Saturday from two to three would be good to."

A cloud drifted away from the room, illuminating the street. Konohamaru's face was even brighter than the new light. "I…I'm so happy, Naruto…oh, thank you…no one has ever taken me seriously like that before…"

Naruto grinned half-heartedly. _Same for me, kid._

**XxXxXx**

Shikamaru leaned back just a little farther on his pillow. The television screen was about as wide as their toaster, but it was all he had left after the bitch broke the other one. He kicked it again to clear the picture of static.

An action flick was playing. Three ninja were fighting on the exterior of a train, using their fancy jutsus that were nonexistent. The acting was overdone, but the explosions were good because the buildings around them also fell victim to the runaway train.

Shikamaru heard his parents arguing in the other room. Cursing lowly, he turned up the television. There was a pop, and the screen turned to static again. Kicking it, he leaned back and sighed. They were getting closer to his door. He wanted to get up and lock the door but he didn't feel like moving.

It was his mistake. The door burst open, and his parents spilled in, Yoshino crying. Shikaku was waving a beer bottle angrily. "What right you got tellin' me to talk t' Shi'maru like tat?!" he bellowed drunkenly.

She wiped her eyes and stepped forward. "You're the one who got him in front of that television for four years; you fix your own mistake!"

"I could't d' n'thin if y' want'd me t'!" he burped, stumbling and waving the bottle so little flecks of beer got all over the furniture. "I jes l'ke tld 'im t' go 'is 'wn way…"

"Shikamaru!" Yoshino turned to her son. "Get away from the TV and please come to lunch, I'm making curry soup." She was pleading to him.

Shikamaru turned up the volume. "I don't wanna move. Give me the soup later or something."

"St'p harsing 'im," Shikaku hiccupped. "Lez go, m'ke me food…"

"I'M NOT MAKING YOUR DISGUSTING DRUNKEN ASS ANYTHING!" Yoshino screamed, wailing. "YOU SPILLED IT ALL OVER THE TABLECLOTH!" She buried her face in her hand, sobbing. "AND YOU THREW UP IN IT, YOU SICK BASTARD!"

Shikaku's face contorted in anger. "STO'P SCRMIN' A' ME BITCH! MY 'EAD HRTS!"

"God fucking DAMMIT!" Their son rubbed his temple, clearly pissed off. "Would you two get THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" He pumped the volume up to full, but still his father's booming voice rang over the explosions and dialogue.

Yoshino, eyes filled with tears, went to the door. Shikaku grabbed her arm, his large hand completely shackling her wrist. "Whar y' gohin'?" he asked, his eyes bloodshot.

She tried to rip her hand away from him. "Get off me, I'm leaving! I'm done with this; I'll really leave this time! Get the FUCK off me!" she screamed when he kept his hand on her. She slapped him across the face, weeping.

Shikaku growled and threw her against the wall. "St'pid bitch! Y' not gohing an'whar!"

He grabbed her hair and tried to force a kiss on her, but she resisted and ran to the other side of the room, Shikamaru not moving to get out of her way. She nearly fell over him, and Shikaku took this moment to grab her around the waist and force her against him. She cracked her fist against his chin. He dizzied. The entire room was in a state of complete hysteria, with Yoshino tear-stained, Shikaku close to throwing up, and Shikamaru watching the TV with the volume so loud the walls shook from all three of their antics.

With an inhuman yowl, Shikaku grabbed the TV. "ST'P MOVIN'!" he screamed, throwing the television at her.

It hit the mark. The heavy metal box bashed straight into her head. The screen cracked against her skin. An unsavory hissing sound filled the air and Yoshino screamed, as the television fell from her face. It was beaten in, blood pouring out of her nose and her cheek slashed heavily with pieces of the television screen sticking against her burned, sizzling flesh. She fell over, blood leaking from her head.

The room was completely silent now, except for Shikaku's heaving. Shikamaru glanced at his mother and sighed, standing up. "Fuck you all."

He stepped over his mother's unconscious, bleeding body and left the room, hoping that he'd catch the rest of the movie at the bar if he could bribe the bartender to change the channel.

Shikamaru didn't see anything wrong with leaving the house. His mom sucked at cooking anyway. Food wasn't too hard to find. When his mom stopped whining she'd be crying for him to come home anyway. She wouldn't leave. Not Shikaku, why would she want to? It's a house to live on, and if food ever became scarce the deer would suffice. Of course, there was no way food could become scarce. It was everywhere. People just had no imagination.

He didn't care about food anyway. All he wanted was a TV. Step away from the television to long, and you're bound to start reconnecting with the world around you. That's what he always thought.

It had been getting warmer, but he wasn't really sure what the day or the month was. It didn't matter, but as he started thinking about it, it plagued his brain. Looks like the TV effect was already wearing off. He stepped down the street, trying to remember his way around the town. People were staring at him like he was trailing his guts from his body. What was the big deal? Big whoop, he left his house.

The bar was close. He noticed a group of little kids following Naruto. The sunlight seemed to brighten the kid's blond spikes. It was really annoying, and so was Naruto. Without a second glance to see if the fox-boy had noticed him, he walked into the bar. It was pretty crowded. Scraggly men were leaning back in their chairs with their hats or headbands over their eyes, trying to sleep off their beer. A man was showing a woman how to play pool. Shikamaru couldn't tell if they both were terrible or if they were just piss drunk. The man squeezed the woman's breast as he leaned forward to take the eight-ball from the green surface.

He rolled his eyes. Everyone was either obsessed with sports or sex. What had happened to the days when the TV would be turned to the latest action film? He sounded like he was thirty. He sure felt it. Sitting down at the bar, he called for a drink. When the bartender came over, seemingly not noticing his younger face and assuming he was of age, he slapped a dirty mug of beer so hard that it sloshed all over the sticky counter.

Shikamaru dug into his pockets and pulled out thirty ryo that he had had for about three years. Leaving the house once a year was a good money-saver, especially when your dad got so drunk he gave you money to go to the weapons shop to buy a shuriken cannon for the upcoming Kage festival.

The bartender's eyes glistened at what he assumed was a mistake, but he courteously didn't point out Shikamaru's mistake.

"Hey, that's for changing the channel," Shikamaru said. "In the corner TV right there, I want the action movies."

He shrugged and changed the channel. The generic romantic subplot of the movie had come up, and the hero and his damsel in distress were swapping love-laced spit as he worked his fingers in between her legs. Shikamaru groaned and flopped onto a chair, watching it. He noticed the pool couple was starting to make out, probably turned on by the explicit scene unfolding on the screen.

Shikamaru watched the scene in boredom, hearing the sounds of whooping and moaning from the guys that were starting to flock around the sex-crazed couple. The woman was definitely spread open and getting fucked so hard she couldn't move, but all Shikamaru cared about was the action flick. The scene was taking too long. He got up and pressed the little metal button underneath the screen, and the channel changed to a much more inviting scene. Two men on horseback were shooting at each other with pistols, a huge horse migration happening in between them, while red-skinned people waited above the cliffs with bows and arrows.

Shikamaru liked the way westerners did their movies. Always blood and guts, with great dialogue and amazing landscapes to fight over. The people all looked totally different and dirtied themselves up without complaint. The weapons were cool, too.

The bar was filled with shouts of anger. He didn't notice, naturally, until someone grabbed his hair and flipped him to face the rest of the bar.

"Who gave you the right to change that shit? It was getting good!" one of the men spat, breath thick enough to get the other drunk.

"I paid thirty ryo for the rights to this TV. If you want to watch some chick getting fucked, look right behind you because I have a great view," he said as the woman's shirt became undone, her breasts flopping out.

"Hey, what the fuck do you think they were fucking _to, _dickweed?" He threw Shikamaru against the wall. "Change the fucking channel!"

Shikamaru sighed. "I really don't see the reason to, fuckface."

"You little prick!" he said, taking a swing at him.

Now, Shikamaru wasn't the first-place taker for practicing ninjutsu. But that didn't mean he forgot what he learned at the academy. His brain could hold as much information as the Kage offices. He was, contrary to his actions, a genius, and for the first time in three years he had to pick through his brain and act.

"Shadow Bind," he hissed, stepping forward towards the love-making couple.

The man froze, his shadow connecting with Shikamaru as the lights above them blared. Shikamaru walked towards the couple who seemed oblivious to the fight around them. The man was positioned at the foot of the pool table, as was Shikamaru.

"W-What the fuck is going on man?!" the guy stammered.

The rest of the bar watched as Shikamaru jumped up high, his ninja training kicking in. The man, who had no training, jumped feebly and caught against the side of the pool table, falling onto the couple, and Shikamaru's foot connected with his face. He went flying over the counter, and the Shadow Bind broke, as did the beer keg he had slammed into.

Warm beer ran in snaky rivers all behind the counter. The bartender looked up at him with complete anger in his eyes. "Get the FUCK OUT!"

Shikamaru shrugged, the naked couple now slightly sober and very confused. They screamed and scrambled for their clothes as Shikamaru left the bar, going back into the daylight. He had memorized the channel that movie had been on, and started for a nearby hotel.

Three people were in the lobby, all wearing headbands from a different nation. He frowned as he noticed them. Sand ninja. He had never seen them before, but he could tell they were from the desert, with their golden skin and light hair. At least, the two whose hair was noticeable, the third wore some retarded kabuki costume, though it was tight-fitted to his body and framed nice muscles.

He didn't pay much attention to them, though he could feel the girl's eyes trained on him as he walked to the lounge. No one was in it, but the TV was on and working well; it only turned to static every ten minutes or so. Shikamaru changed the channel to the western movie. He settled down and watched the romantic subplot. Westerners, they knew that the subplot needed to go by quickly. They didn't turn it into a ten-minute fuck fest like the eastern producers did. Nope, it was just twenty-seconds of kissing, thirty seconds of sickly-sweet dialogue, another ten seconds of kissing, five seconds of staring at each other lovingly, and then the scene changed to the antagonists torturing a young boy for information. No sex torture, nothing. Just stabbing in the shoulder or shooting the leg.

As it should be, he thought, smiling blankly as the feeling of the girl's stare went away. He wasn't sure what his parents were doing now, or the bartender whose keg he screwed up. He didn't even know if the girl was still ogling him or not. It didn't matter, because life was such a drag.

Television sure as hell wasn't.

**XxXxXx**

A shorter chapter, but that's because I want you all to know I'm still here! School has seriously taken a toll on me, because of the honors classes and the AP U.S. History class I'm taking. I just don't have time for anything other than a one-shot and homework, it seems. Perhaps I'm just making excuses, but luckily I can work on my fics in Journalism, when I'm not whipping out news stories by the dozen.

Anyway, we have Tsunade's past unfolded for everyone. Kakashi was there to help her through her confessions, how sweet of him. Naruto has been having difficulties with training and socializing because of his kyuubi attack, but the little ones are there for him, how sweet. Konohamaru's adorable. And Shikamaru, wow, let's see how his story unfolds, because it's definitely going to be an interesting one.

Enjoy this chapter, and hope that I may update more constantly!


	13. Moving Forward

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
****Slight AU warning.  
****Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!**

Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja trigger a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?

Note: _Italicized lines _often mean thoughts of a character or in some cases dreams. **Bolded lines **often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. _**Bolded italicized lines**_often mean flashbacks.

The Author Speaks: There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information given.There will be limes/_possible _lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes.

Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except all the characters are two years older than before the time-skip in the series (13 is 15, 26 is 28, etc). Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire.

Definitions:  
None

Songs:  
"The Back of Your Mouth" by The Used  
"Yesterday" by The Beatles  
"Bonecrusher" by Senses Fail  
"Wasted" by Carrie Underwood

**Show Me a Hero**

_**Chapter 13 – Moving Forward**_

It was approximately three when the telephone rang at the Yamanaka shop, and it was an event indeed. For starters, to have a telephone was a luxury that many couldn't afford, or find for that matter. To have someone _call _that telephone was even rarer. So when it did indeed ring, Ino didn't know how to respond. She looked up from the counter, confused, and eyed her father. He dropped the pea plant he was preparing to shell and walked over to the phone. The thing sat there, ringing dully, the cord tucked behind the counter. It was so easy to trip over.

Inoichi wrapped his fingers around it and lifted the phone to his face. He held it carefully. The atmosphere in the shop would have made people think there was a poisonous snake loose. Inoichi kept calm as he opened his lips and spoke into the alien console.

"Hello, Yamanaka flower shop."

Ino heard the buzzing of someone talking on the other end. Fascinating, the way the machine distorted the sounds of a conversation and made it so private. It was a sanctuary in a tube, that phone. Once, Ino had played around with the dial trying to call a number. She had been in quite a bind when she found herself on a Kumo service line. She had dialed numbers repeatedly until she realized the only way to hang up was to place the phone back onto the pedestal.

Ice blue eyes grew wide in front of her. She put away her glam magazine and watched, interested. The sight of someone speaking on the phone was alluring. It was wrong to be suspicious, but plausible. With a letter it was so easy to retrieve, but a phone conversation, that was gone forever once it ended. It was like sentences walking to extinction.

Inoichi nearly dropped the phone in his craze. His voice became louder. "W-What? Slow down, damnit! Shikaku!"

This piqued her interest. Shikaku had access to a phone?

"What the—pay your bail?! Why are you in jail to begin with?! ...Slow down...shut up! Slow down I said!"

Ino frowned. Shikaku was in jail? He had gone to jail before, no doubt, but why would he need bail? He was usually released the next day.

"..." There it went. The phone fell from her father's coarse hands. It clanged against the counter, the cord sizzling. Ino jumped away from the electricity, remembering her hand. He snatched it up again, breathing staggered. "Yoshino...is what? You're...not kidding...you did...a TV?"

The suspense was absolute torture. No one read their letters out loud. The most a spectator could pick up was the facial expressions of the reader. A phone conversation meant fragmented, unimportant sentences that crowded around the big picture and kept it hidden.

"She's in the hospital? Good, good...s-st...stop crying, I can't understand you...a concussion? Damnit...what?! Shikamaru's missing?"

That's all Ino needed to hear. She ran out of the shop, leaving her father to take care of all of the adult stuff. What had happened at the Nara household yesterday?

She walked to Chouji's, keeping her gaze away from onlookers. She didn't want customers. The wind blew up her skirt; she didn't bother keeping it down.

Spring was in Konoha. The leaves had all blown across the streets as green sprouted from the places where it was able to grow. The flowers in her garden were juicy and bright. Yet the weather didn't seem to affect anyone anymore. The little schoolchildren loved playing in the warmth of the sun. Yet the teenagers complain, complain, and complain. And now the 'epitome' of a teenager was missing.

Chouji answered his door. The television was blasting some commercial on cat food. Chouza was giggling madly as he spooned through an entire box of cereal. He smiled goofily. Ino cast her eyes down at the floor, her heart fluttering with anxiety. "Something's happened at the Naras."

Chouji frowned and turned for a second. "Dad, I'm going out with Ino. If you get hungry, _don't touch the oven!_"

Chouza's googly eyes looked at his son. "Yeah! Shut up, I'm watching TV!"

Chouji closed the door. "What's up at the ranch?"

Ino was relieved. A wild nightmare had risen inside her that Chouji wouldn't give two cents about Shikamaru's condition. Terrible as he might be, there was that feeling. Like when an ex-wife dies, it's a state of confusion. Wondering how things may have turned out, hoping for the best, even if the circumstances are icy.

"Yoshino's got a concussion. I think Shikaku gave it to her, cuz he's in jail. And Shikamaru's missing."

He frowned, disturbed. "How did you find this out?"

"Dad was talking to Shikaku on the phone." She had never used that sentence structure before in her life.

Chouji sat down, trying to bring up thoughts about his old friend. "Amaguriama," he said. "He likes...liked that place."

"Sure," Ino said, unable to cast off her veil of worry. They walked to the sweet shop, but only found the usual amount of customers, and Sakura's pink hair. Dark imprints underneath her eyes, she looked at them for a moment before smiling.

"Hey guys! You want something?" she asked, leaning against the cookie rack and nearly breaking it. She stood up, and sighed, before composing herself.

"What happened to you? Getting no sleep?" Ino asked.

"Not a wink. I'm trying to do well in Tsunade's class...it's getting tough."

Always was Sakura the hard worker. "Have you seen Shikamaru?"

Sakura shook her head. "He hasn't been around...why; did he actually leave his house?"

They quickly said goodbye to her. They didn't have time to sit around, though Ino was hurt that she couldn't spend some time with her friend. Instead, she was walking with Chouji around town, looking for anyplace that Shikamaru might go to. They checked about five bars before they hit one that had actually seen the boy.

"He broke my fucking beer keg!" the guy mused. "I would have made him pay for it if he hadn't been underage. He's psycho. He gave me thirty ryo just so he could watch the TV. Of all places, he goes here?"

Ino stepped away from the counter. "He's looking for television..." the statement left a pit in her stomach. Why else did she have scars on her hand?

"What's a place that doesn't close and would offer a place to sleep?" Chouji asked.

"...Inns." Ino turned out of the bar and stormed down the street to the nearest hotel. Chouji followed, waddling along far behind. He was panting, and she stopped. "I'm sorry...it...I just can't believe...why would he want television? I thought he...he ran from his dad..."

The boy shrugged. "We won't know until we find him."

Ino walked into the hotel, looking around the lobby. She saw the three foreign ninja, and turned to the receptionist, leaning forward when she noticed it was a man. Turning on her charm, she eyed the area around him. "Excuse me sir," she said in a seductive voice. "I was wondering if you have anyone named Shikamaru Nara booked here today."

The man's eyes wandered, and Chouji scooted closer to her defensively. He flipped open his book, giving the heavier boy a condescending glare as he looked. "No, we have no Nara here. If you're looking for someone, try the guy at the lounge. He slept there."

The three foreign ninja remained in the lobby; the two older ones seemed to be arguing. Ino went into the lounge, noting the crackling fire and the television tuned in on an action channel. There he was, sitting in a daze, fixated to the screen. Sixteen years of potential and five years of hell all mixed together to produce the thing that sat numbly on the couch.

"Shikamaru?" the prostitute asked gently. She wasn't going to provoke him. Perhaps the shock of seeing his mother hurt put him off-kilter.

He didn't reply, only continued watching the high-tech fight scene playing out before him. Chouji moved in front of the screen, walking over to him. "Hey, we heard about your mom, dude..."

Shikamaru's eyes broke from the television. He looked up at his former best friend with a glazed stare. "...what?"

"Shikamaru, this may be hard to tell you, and I'm sorry we two despicable people have to be the ones to tell you, but your mother has a major concussion. Your father is in prison for attacking her. The Jounin are looking for you." Ino touched his arm in an act of comfort.

He slapped it away. "...Well, they can find me here. I'm not done with the movie."

His words rotated around Ino's heart, constricting her emotions. That wasn't the reaction she was expecting. Chouji grabbed him and pushed him back into the couch.

"You son of a fucking bitch!" he hissed, tears springing to his face. "I don't fucking believe you! You...you FUCKER!" He had been worried about this. There was something inside him that prevented him from having any faith in Shikamaru. After witnessing these past few months of a human being degenerating into an unfeeling monster, he had become cold to change.

For once, Shikamaru didn't fight back. "...mom and dad were fighting. I saw him hit her with my TV. I was going to miss the big fight. I can tell when they're gonna happen. I didn't want to miss it. Mom had shut up, yeah, but dad was blubbering..."

Chouji punched him, starting to cry. "Shikamaru...Shikamaru..." he slipped down to his knees, crying into the cushion between his friend's legs. It completely torn him apart. Where was Shikamaru? He wanted the good one back, not this bastard. Not this...thing.

Ino pulled him away, trying to keep Chouji from jumping on the taller boy. "Please, it's not worth it, it's not worth the scars to try and get him to listen, please..." she held him when he flipped over and started crying into her. "Please...we'll go...forget this...let's just forget about him...forever..."

Temari watched them, very interested. There had been some exchange of emotions that was unprecedented; why else would the fat one punch the twig? The prostitute was being the mediator, keeping the fat boy close as they walked out.

Kankuro was waiting for her. Gaara was getting hungry, but she wanted to speak to the twig. She had been very interested in him when she saw him. He held an air of complete nothingness. He was from another dimension, not existing on this plane and refusing to come to exist. Sunagakure often had soldiers like this, but she wouldn't have expected one in Konoha.

She approached him, and noticed his love for cliché action movies might be also false. It was a distraction, the closed door of his self from everyone else.

_Temari, you need to stop stealing the psychology books..._she thought as she watched him. There had to be a way to send him a signal. Something to get him to respond to her. Merely staring at him didn't phase his barrier. _Think about the mission..._but she was too excited by this boy.

"Hey, you," she said in her rudest voice as possible. "Turn around." If she was rude, perhaps she'd get a rise. It didn't work. "Excuse me?" Nothing. Perhaps she needed a different way to communicate with him. If he watched the movie to close his door, would she be able to watch his movie to open it? She sat down next to him, her desert garment falling to her knees.

She had seen this one hundreds of times. It was actually based off a training video made in Suna by the Kazekage. Of course, the movie was supposed to be a spoof of Suna until the Kazekage got his hands on the producers and forced them to think otherwise.

Suddenly she felt the door open. The twig peered out, annoyed and confused. He looked at her. "...what do you want?"

She had merely come a-knocking, maybe just to say hi to the scary twig. She smiled. "Hello. Your name is Shikamaru? That means deer boy."

"...what of it?" He was suspicious, she could tell. Like the old man wondering why little kids would knock upon his door, he didn't know what she wanted. And to be truthful, neither did she.

"I'm Temari, from Sunagakure. Would you like to direct me around town? It's quite confusing, despite being so small." A friendly air usually won an old man over. Unless...

"I'm busy."

Yup, he was the cranky recluse. At the end of the novel, however, they always came out of their shell, if not for a moment. She decided the best way to keep him outside was to connect him with something. "Were those your friends? They didn't seem happy."

Wrong move. He glared at her, turning so harshly he could have slapped her. "Who the _fuck _do you think you are, bothering me? Of course they weren't fucking happy. I could give a fuck about Chouji and Ino. Fuck off."

The door hadn't shut, but he had gotten out a shovel to frighten her. She was taken aback, and the door suddenly slammed. He had gone back to his television. She stood up and left, feeling strangely dissatisfied with his reaction.

Kankuro was waiting with a drooling Gaara. "Why the hell are you talking to him?"

Temari shrugged. "You know what...honestly, there's something about him. I think I want to know more about him."

"We don't need sympathetic shit right now. Gaara is this close to attacking the next person who walks by. Can we go to the jerky cart before he freaks out?"

"You didn't need to wait for me," she spoke, sticking her hands in her pockets and walking with them.

**XxXxXx**

Sunny skies, windy days. Sasuke's hair whipped in front of his face as he tried cleaning the newspapers from the front of the store. Something yellow and sticky had been spilled all over the news. He could barely make out the headline. What was in the news, anyway? Little to care about, because it was never knew. A shooting, a robbery, a rape, whatever Konoha was in the mood for.

He set the broom against the counter and bade goodbye to the owner, checking out. Kakashi was waiting for him at the training grounds. He took off his work boots. His sandals shuffled against the street's uneven texture as he walked. It was a late evening, the sun was milky-white. He thought of Naruto, pouring cartons of milk down his throat almost as much as he slurped ramen.

Sasuke walked to the training grounds, hands in his pockets. Was summer really that far off? The months were flying by. Inside, his chakra boiled. There was some sort of feeling trying to escape him. Nervousness? Anticipation? He couldn't figure it out, but he had no time as Kakashi was visible in the distance.

Sasuke smiled softly when he reached Kakashi. The teacher was sitting on a log, reading a new volume of Icha Icha Paradise. Somehow, the eroticism was so popular the series spanned over thirty volumes. Of what, Sasuke never knew. That kind of reading had been banned from the household.

Kakashi pocketed the book. The sun was awfully bright, so that it had turned white. Some would say the moon was out early, but the rays remained the distorted yellow they always were.

"Please," he said, in a gesture to the surroundings. "After all, I have a meeting to attend in an hour."

"An hour?" Sasuke asked incredulously. "That's all I have? I'll keep you entertained."

He stepped away from the log. The air was heavy against him. The molten chakra flowed through his body, tinting his skin red as he concentrated the energy into his fingertips. His mind reeled. It was so difficult to think, so hard to keep his posture. The wind turned into a cyclone around him, it seemed, and he fell over, fingers burning. Sparks that emitted a chirping sound sizzled around his knuckles. The air was cool again, gently whipping his face with refreshment.

Sasuke loathed the look of disinterest in his teacher's face. He stood up again, sweating, clearing his throat. Yet another time to try to move through the volcano without sinking. Again, his fingertips felt like he had inserted them into a toaster. All went into darkness. There was no way to probe the amount of energy he needed, with this blind disadvantage. An explosion rattled his flesh, and he yowled. The world was vibrant again; trees shook their branches at him in disappointment. Burns outlined his knuckles. A small hole was fresh in a tree. The cracks in the bark spread all across the tree, strangling it in a piercing grip. There went the tree, broken into pieces. An antagonized bird flew away, disgruntled.

Kakashi shrugged. "Can you afford a shriveled hand?"

There was no reason to argue with him. Sasuke didn't argue. He just kept on going, his fingers receiving the same punishment, the pain doubling and striking him blind or death, his chakra turning on him and choking him, threatening to close him to breath, as he felt his insides heat up. It was not until the hour was nearly up was the chakra able to crawl up his arm harmlessly, turning his flesh into a weapon.

Still, he could not control it. The arm wouldn't move until most of the chakra died out. The sound of one-thousand chirping birds rang in Sasuke's ear as he tried desperately to move his arm like it hadn't been bolted down with a weight.

He was tired and sweating against a tree. His throat sucked of all water. His mind, unable to make anything out clearly. The rest of the day needed to be for relaxation only.

Kakashi stood over him. "That's enough for today. At least you can harness Chidori, but can you use it? From the look of things, I wouldn't go trying it out next mission."

Sasuke remained on the ground. It really was tiring, that Chidori. "What do you take me for? There's no reason to burn my fingers off trying it." His chest heaved.

"Let's work on this again in four days. Give your chakra some time to regenerate—and your skin, for that matter." There was a disapproving look on his student's face. "What, it doesn't work for you?"

"I'm going to the Land of Water in two days. I'm not going to be able to make it."

He could afford that sort of trip? Of course, somehow his student was richer than him. "The Land of Water, huh...what's the occasion?"

"I'm going to the Kiri Library of Shinobi Records. I might be able to find something on the Sharingan." Sasuke started wrapping gauze around his burned arm. "I've been sitting around doing nothing about it for sixteen years. I figure I'm old enough to start looking for clues on how to unlock it." He spat a piece of unneeded gauze on the grass. The wind picked it up and sent it to the river. "I looked at my savings yesterday. It's tight, but I've got enough to scrape by with a two-way trip."

"So you're going in two days. Something about that day seems different. Oh yes, that's the same boat Team 8 is taking for their newest mission." Kakashi chuckled. "I'd like to see how that turns out."

News seemed to bring the most surprising revelations. Sasuke had almost forgotten Shino, Kiba, and Hinata were even ninjas. "What's their mission?"

"It's C-class, but only because it involves long-distance travel. They've gotta protect this Water lord from Hepotomo assassins. Hepotomo is getting a huge budget cut because the lord wants to install a new military fort—and let's just say, they aren't happy customers."

"What's a Water lord doing in Fire country?"

"He was talking to a lord here about proper trace credentials to the new fort. Looks like Orochimaru was able to pull some strings and get the mission redirected to us."

Team 8 was supposed to be based on stealth and cooperation: if by that, they meant Hinata and Kiba fucking together while Shino snuck behind an alley to get high. Shit, he almost forgot about that. He'd have to talk to Kurenai about it later. "Hepotomo assassins...why's it only C?"

"All of the assassins are jailed in Wave. It's just a precaution."

Sasuke nodded, hands going into his pockets. "Alright, then." _It should be smooth sailing from here_, he thought.

**XxXxXx**

Umbrellas dotted the outdoor café, as the sun was particularly luminous that day. Seagulls flew above the roofs and dipped gracefully under train paths, curving around skyscrapers out into the endless sea beyond the technology. The streets were painted in bright pastel colors from flower displays and ice cream carts celebrating the emergence of spring.

Spectators at the café sipped their sparkling juice as they looked over at a table situated near the gates separating the street from its boundaries. A silver fork was cutting into a piece of flourless chocolate cake. The equal, brown squares sizzled under the sun, becoming gooey. In went the fork, plunging through the confection with a flash of silver. A pair of pale lips enclosed around it, and the mouth began to chew.

Girls giggled, watching this scenario. It was quite possibly the most fulfilling thing on the planet; watching the Otokage eat.

Orochimaru dabbed his mouth with a napkin, folding it over to expose a clean part of the paper. He put down his fork and sipped his iced tea. Across from him, Kabuto was devouring strawberry pie lathered in whipped cream.

"I do say Kabuto, we will lose all our teeth by the end of the year," he declared, laughing and taking precaution not to prop his shoulders on the table.

The younger man pushed up his glasses, looking at the Otokage. "I'm fairly certain I can prevent that. A few injections might be necessary, but I'll give you special free treatment."

"There's no need to treat me like the most important man in Oto—oh wait, I am." He smiled and ate another piece of cake.

Kabuto couldn't help but notice that one of Orochimaru's controversial qualities was his humorous egotism. He knew when to be humble, but he made it known that he wasn't delicate with his position in the political system. A leader who wasn't afraid of being a leader. Sometimes it embarrassed the young doctor.

Orochimaru smirked at him. "You're blushing. Do I embarrass you that easily? It hurts inside, that you don't like my company."

Kabuto's eyebrow rose. "I've known you for how many years now, and I've always blushed whenever you make comments like that. I know you're quite—overt—but you could at least bite your tongue."

Orochimaru chuckled. "I wouldn't do it. I prefer speaking over pain, thank you. Plus, my cake would get bloody. Don't you think that's a little, for lack of a better word, gross?" He wrinkled his nose thinking about it and picked up another piece of cake. "My lord, this is absolutely delicious. I will be sure to tip everyone graciously, though I can tell they get wonderful business without my help."

He pointed out to the street. "Do you see that? People are walking everywhere. Look at the thirsty parents and the doting mothers, the teenagers...they all will see this beautiful establishment with its marble sign and revolving doors and they will come in. That is good business. Presenting an outdoor display of their food to entice all who are innocently passing by—excellent! Look, did you see that man notice my cake? Well, he probably was busy ogling me, but I'm sure he'd like the cake too. The point is, Kabuto, if you're in a heavily-trafficked area then you will get good business if you're presentable."

"Why are you giving me business advice?" Kabuto questioned, though he hung onto the older man's every word.

"Because you learn to learn, not necessarily to apply. Another thing you should remember. Knowledge is for everyone. It may not be used, but it is still there."

The doctor smiled and took a forkful of pie. "No wonder Tsunade is so infatuated with you. You're a regular charm."

Orochimaru's serpentine eyes scanned Kabuto's pale face. An amused smile crossed his face. Kabuto frowned. "What?"

"You have something on your cheek," Orochimaru noted. Before Kabuto could take his napkin, the back of his neck had been captured by his boss's hand. Orochimaru pulled him forward and licked off whipped cream from his face, his long tongue dancing on Kabuto's skin lovingly.

Everyone was staring at them. A waiter who had been in the process of serving a couple ice cream stopped and the bowls slipped off the platter, landing upside-down on the flowered tablecloth. It didn't seem to matter to anyone, because what they were witnessing was much better than strawberry ice cream.

Kabuto was beet red when the Otokage moved away. His gaze dropped into his pie and remained there for a few minutes, trying to gauge whether people had stopped taking mental pictures of their table. He took the napkin to his face and cleaned up Orochimaru's saliva. "...I...sir, I..."

"See how formal you get when I do those things to you?" As if not an unnatural thing in the world had happened, he continued eating his cake. "I would think you'd get more casual."

"How do you expect me to react? It's not a common thing to see, whether that be good or bad." He started to pick at his pie again, his appetite off-kilter.

"It is not like the young Miss Haruno will see. How have your letters been going? Are they getting shorter with each reply?"

"Just the opposite actually. She's quite possibly the most intelligent girl I've ever met. I could spend hours with her much more than the dry socialites I am forced to talk to at receptions. Honestly, you can find the gems of society in the dirtiest of places." And how strange it was indeed, that a sixteen-year old girl gave him more of a thrill than the chiefs of surgery at all the greatest hospitals in Oto.

Orochimaru smiled. "Wonderful. I am glad you're keeping correspondence with her. Fuel that adorable little crush she's bound to have on you. Unless you honestly wish to reciprocate?"

"...Would the Lord's heart be crushed?" Kabuto asked under his breath, twiddling his fingers.

"Not at all! Remember, Lord Orochimaru has no romantic love for his assistant. His assistant's attraction is not reciprocated. All he can find with Lord Orochimaru," the Otokage said, taking Kabuto's hand, "is pleasure."

The fresh adult turned beet red. "Y-Yes...I know, my lord."

"Once again with the formalities." Orochimaru started to take money from his wallet. "You need to relax. Stress doesn't help you grow." He put a large sum of money on the table, stood up, wiped his mouth, and began to walk away with his assistant.

Everyone watched them. It was a treat, to watch the Otokage walk away from his meal.

**XxXxXx**

Bouncy balls were never a good thing to take into the forest. Konohamaru was on his knees, crawling around the earthen floor as he tried to locate the, ironically enough, dark green ball he had been playing with while waiting for Naruto.

It was nowhere to be found. With a sigh, he sat on a tree stump and watched the budding flowers poke out from beyond the tall, wild grass. He had never been this far out of Konoha. Grandpa never took him anywhere, because he could be in trouble if there were no doctors around to help him. At least he had his medicine, but Iruka had been very skeptical on letting him go play out in the forest.

How had he managed to secure the trust? He said Naruto was going to teach him how to fish. Somehow, Iruka believed that, even though he wasn't sure even Naruto knew how to fish properly. Nonetheless, there he was, waiting for the older boy. He was starting to get scared. What if Naruto forgot and he had an attack right in the middle of the forest? He'd never be able to make it back by himself. That's probably why Iruka wanted him to keep close to town.

Would Iruka hate Naruto? Probably…no. Konohamaru wouldn't even hate Naruto if he got sick. After all, he already was. Naruto was the first older person to give him the time of day and not treat him like a china doll.

Konohamaru noticed he had somehow winded up on the grass, watching caterpillars crawling feebly around blades of grass to find some destination. He heard the cacophonous screeching of someone trying to sing. At first he wasn't sure if it even was singing, or if a goose had been run over by a bull.

The source was Naruto. It was as if the heavens had recoiled from his attempt at music. The clouds were layering over each other. The skies deepened into a wispy blue.

"Whoah man, what are you laying down there for?" he asked, bending over him, blonde hair blocking the view.

Konohamaru sat up. Not too fast, otherwise he'd get dizzy for a half hour. "Nothing. Just trying to avoid that pain you call singing."

Naruto chuckled. "Hey, I know it's not the next Yogurt Boxcars but I'm working on it!" He helped him up. "Alright, let's get you started."

"So what will we be working on?" he asked with enthusiasm, brushing grass off his knees.

Naruto thought for a minute. "We'll start you out small o' course. I'm gonna suggest learning the Transformation Jutsu. Here, let me show you."

He stepped back from the boy and put his hands together. The air grew thicker around Naruto as chakra built up in his clasped hands, giving off a faint blue light. White smoke poured around him as his body shifted, and Sarutobi was standing in front of an awed Konohamaru.

"You look JUST like grandpa!" he stated, dumbfounded.

"That's the point," Naruto said as he transformed back into his normal self. "You have to picture the person in your mind while concentrating on your chakra levels. You need just the amount of chakra depending on their age, weight, height, gender…it's not very easy, but easier than it sounds. Since you're only copying the person externally, you don't have to match organs or anything, so their state of health isn't important. That's why older people are easier to do. You have to decrease chakra levels throughout your body instead of increase."

"How do you decrease or increase chakra if you have a set amount?" It seemed like a hard thing to do.

"Well, you don't actually decrease your chakra level. You just don't activate that part of chakra. You need self control to decrease chakra levels. It's easier to increase chakra levels, because all you need to do is activate more. You immediately activate about half of your chakra, so all you need to do is open up more chakra points. Anyway, is there anyone you want to turn into?"

Konohamaru thought for a while. "Can you turn into a girl?"

"Yeah, it's not so hard," he said, focusing again. He drew energy away from his pelvis and brought it up to his chest, weakening the amount in his arms. He turned into a copy of Sakura and did her little "Cha!" pose. It had always been adorable.

The boy laughed. "Wow, you sure look like her! I see her a lot at Amaguriama. She's always at the counter. She tried to sneak me a free chocolate pretzel once but the owner caught her."

"Did she now? Tsk tsk Sakura, trying to break the rules. Hey, are you interested in girls?"

Konohamaru frowned. "Do you mean like…in _that _way? Of course I am. I'm eleven after all."

"Well, let me show you something." As Sakura, he backed up. Once again he shifted back into himself. He focused less on needing clothes, and he turned into a voluptuous woman with long blonde hair spilling over naked breasts. In fact, the entirety of her was naked, with smoke well-placed around her nether-region.

She looked down at Konohamaru with sky-blue eyes, whisker markings cutely accenting a small nose. "Konohamaru-kun," she said in a girly voice, "do you want to come home with me?"

Konohamaru fell over in shock. It was sickening to think that he was holding such naughty thoughts about Naruto, but he was one drop-dead sexy woman. "J-Jeez Naruto, control yourself, will ya?"

With a pop, he was back to normal. "Sorry. It's just fun to do, especially when you do it perfectly. It's a guy's greatest weakness."

"I wanna do it! I wanna learn that jutsu. What's it called?"

"Sexy Jutsu," Naruto replied. "I invented it. Ninja aren't supposed to use vulgarity in their technique, but I thought all the other transformation jutsu were pretty boring. I don't know if your grandpa would be happy with a naked woman prancing around."

Konohamaru burst into fits of laughter. "I can't even think of it…grandpa would kill me. But," he said after he had calmed down, "I wanna learn it."

Naruto jumped from the stump. "Do you now? Alright then, let's get you started. First, show me the strongest jutsu you can perform."

Konohamaru concentrated. His hands seemed to be unable to stop shaking, as he put them together. "Dumbbell Shuriken!" with a squeaky voice, and two oddly-shaped chakra shuriken appeared in his hands. Their energy quavered violently, distorting the air.

"Alright, that's not terribly easy to do," Naruto admitted. "You need to have good control, which you seem to barely have. Look at the way the shuriken quiver. The chakra is struggling to stay in its form."

"I'm sorry!" the little boy apologized, sounding crestfallen. "I never really figured out how to control it. Grandpa's books are real hard, and Iruka never brings his."

"That's the problem," Naruto pointed out, "Iruka's books are meant for your level. But we won't need them, because you'll find inwardly controlling chakra is easier than outwardly. Put those away," he waved at the shuriken, "and try to concentrate that same amount into your chest."

He obliged, his eyes squeezed shut, his breathing quick and heaving. It hurt to concentrate so hard. He nearly collapsed, and tried to make his stumble unnoticeable to his teacher. The chakra slowly crawled around his chest; he couldn't make it do what he wanted.

Naruto stood over Konohamaru and moved his hands apart. "Keeping your hands together will cause the chakra to be inclined to go to them. For now, keep them apart."

Now he found no problems. The chakra in his chest started to swirl around, pressing against his skin and making him sweat. He started to cramp up, and he silently prayed that he wouldn't collapse. He didn't want to, now that he felt the progress.

"Imagine a pair of breasts," Naruto said with a smirk. He felt like a total pervert, but how else was he supposed to tell the boy?

With a blushing face, Konohamaru did. The chakra squirmed around inside him, pushing, making his body change. Interestingly enough, the fact that his skin was reshaping itself wasn't painful. It was the effort of keeping his chakra stable so that his chest could move. He grunted and clutched the side of the stump, chest up in the air.

Naruto had to admit, this was a really strange scene. An eleven-year old with a face so red he was afraid bulls would come running, sounded like he was quietly giving birth in the middle of a clearing. How wonderful nature could be.

Eventually, Konohamaru stropped hurting and he stood up, panting, showing Naruto what he had accomplished. It was a pair alright. One was about the size of a volleyball, the other, a tangerine. Naruto sniggered. "Wow. That's monstrous. But good job keeping the chakra together, even if it's a little uneven."

Konohamaru looked down at himself. "…What did I do to myself?!" he moaned, grabbing his new pair of breasts. They flopped around. He grinned and started to laugh, and he did with Naruto for a few minutes.

They shrunk back into his normal chest, and they continued working. It had been an hour before they made progress. Now the breasts were normal and Konohamaru had stretched his height. Naruto didn't want to point out that his clothes were hanging on for dear life, but he praised the boy and they finished the training with some normal exercises.

Konohamaru sprawled himself on the grass, hugging it for comfort. "I'm so tired," he complained, trying to catch his breath.

"You're doing well," Naruto said matter-of-factly, pulling out a notepad and pencil from his breast pocket. He began marking it up with records. "Just need to write down the results of today's lesson…and there we go. Alright, when is the next time we should meet?"

"Tomorrow!" the little boy said excitedly.

Naruto shook his head. "We can't do it every day. Your grandpa only lets you out a few times a week, remember? We'll have to wait until Thursday."

Konohamaru pouted. "That's gay! I don't want to wait that long."

Naruto snorted at his choice of insult. "Alright, gay as it might be, it's the rules. I usually don't like following them, but sometimes you gotta if you want to be productive. Here, let me walk you back home."

It seemed as if the evening brightened. Konohamaru instinctively grabbed onto Naruto's hand, as he often did with his grandfather. In a second he jerked it away, leaving the older boy looking a little confused. There was no way he could act like a little kid in front of Naruto.

The day was long. The sun remained set in the sky, though it had shifted from a light yellow to deep orange and cast the roofs the same color. There were certain times of the day when Konoha looked splendid for a moment, and this was one of those times. It was only when the realization set in that graffiti and crumbling homes were the most illustrative figures to be seen that people knew how much disrepair Konoha was in.

"Man, I can't wait to show Moegi and Udon my weird boy-woman. They'll be totally freaked out. Udon would probably like it, the perv." Konohamaru sniggered.

"Is he a pervert?" Naruto asked. "He seemed really geeky. Like, if I was a bad kid I'd beat him up geeky."

"He loves mathematics. Moegi gets tutored by him," Konohamaru said, pausing. Naruto could easily identify the jealousy plastered on his face.

He smirked. "You little kids and your crazy crushes."

"I'm not a little kid! Come on, you said you'd teach me stuff. You wouldn't teach just any other little kid stuff, right?"

"…Well, if they paid me yeah. But you're different. I actually like you."

Those words drifted through the little boy's mind, settling down and letting him understand their meaning. He blushed a little. He didn't really know why, but Naruto felt like a really close friend. Barely any time had passed after their first meeting, and Konohamaru was ready to tell Naruto all of his secrets. Except for one thing. After all, Naruto would be less likely to train him if he knew just how sick he was.

"What are you dreaming about now?" Naruto took him away from his thoughts.

"Oh, nothing." Konohamaru smiled up at the teenager and continued walking with him.

**XxXxXx**

The alley was strangely bright for having so many clothing lines blocking the sky. Tsunade found that the light came from a candle that was set on a holder roughly beaten into a brick wall. Deciding not to acknowledge that a lot of the stuff in the alley was stolen, she continued walking.

It looked like no one disturbed this little section. There were no garbage cans nearby, and what were unmistakable mattresses and blankets looked fairly clean. A little wooden roof was sustained above those mattresses by shaky metal rods dug into the ground. The graffiti lining the walls were so old, parts had faded away leaving messages that made no sense whatsoever, and it looked like someone had covered the walls with painted-on calendars. Bowls were stacked next to books and there was a tiny dog bed against one of the walls with squeak toys around it.

The bed had signs of life in it. A little pig was sleeping soundly, guttural oinks coming from its large nose. Tsunade smiled a little at it; it looked healthy and fat. A darker side of her imagined a plate of bacon, but she ignored the temptation as she looked through the books.

There were pieces of paper stuck in the books; one of them was a balance slip from fifteen years ago, showing a zero balance of an account. Tsunade stuffed it back into the book, feeling sick, and stood up.

"What the _fuck _are you doing here?!" A shrill voice rang out behind her.

She spun around and saw a half-drunk Shizune wobbling towards her. It was apparent she took more care of the pig than herself. Her hair was sticking in all directions and had bits of blood, vomit, and rock in it. Her teeth were yellowed, her eyes red, and her skin blotched. Her clothing could have been mistaken for a dirt plot.

"Shizune, please don't attack me," she pleaded. "Come on, you used to look up to me, there's no need for this violence." _What the hell are you saying? She has every right to want to kill you. Just look at her!_

Shizune looked extremely confused for a moment, before realizing who it was invading her alley. "YOU!" Immediately, she broke a bottle she was holding, the alcohol spilling all over her arm and robe before she rushed Tsunade.

With a sigh, she stepped to the side just as Shizune swung, and grabbed her arm, sending a chakra blast through it to weaken her grip on the weapon; sure enough, It fell and shattered all over the ground.

"Fucking bitch! You got glass everywhere," she moaned angrily, stooping down and grabbing handfuls without any regard for her safety. She threw them under the fence separating her side of the alley from the other. Flecks of blood dotted the ground.

"Shizune…" It hurt to see her like this. Tsunade didn't understand how stupid Dan could be, to give all of his money to her, to trust her out of love and affection.

"Don't talk to me. It's been fifteen years. You could have stayed!" She continued cleaning up the glass, further injuring herself. She hiccupped. "So Uncle Dan wasted all his money on you. To fuel your fucking gambling. You know what? I wouldn't have been nearly as fucking pissed with you as I am over you ABANDONING ME!"

Once again, Tsunade didn't know how to retort. "You're hurting yourself. Let me pick it up…"

Shizune waved her away when she attempted to approach. "Fuck off! Get out of here. I don't want to see your fucking face again. You're out living the life while I'm rotting in this goddamn alley because you don't' know what the FUCK responsibility is! I was left with nothing, absolutely nothing. They took away the house. I'm too old to be in a foster home. Everyone I knew was dead. Do you think if you hadn't been so fucking stupid, Nawaki would have been able to come through for me? Because he was a lot fucking better than YOU!"

Tsunade stepped forward, crunching some glass near the pig's bed. "Don't talk about Nawaki, okay? Don't talk about him! You weren't there, you didn't see his condition! You weren't there when Dan was killed. You weren't there when I murdered your grandfather. I wasn't in my right mind to think about consequences. I didn't think about you or anyone, just myself. I admit that."

She let out an annoyed laugh that followed with another hiccup. "Well you had fourteen years and three-hundred sixty-four days to think about it afterwards!"

There wasn't anything Tsunade could say to dispute that. She remained quiet for a moment, while Shizune finished cleaning the glass. The miserable woman petted the pig affectionately, giving it a genuine smile. It sort of lifted the older woman's spirits from the very bottom to just above the ground. "Where did you find that thing?"

"…I passed out in a barn at one of the farm's…not Nara's, the one next to it. It was just there with all the others, but it looked the fattest, so I took it. I figured I'd eat it…but then she kinda grew on me. Her name's Tonton. Get away from her!" Shizune barked suddenly, noticing Tsunade's approach, "I don't want you near something precious to me. You'll destroy it!"

"…Shizune…Take Tonton and come to my house. I can clean you up, make you look better and get you healthy, it's the least I can do."

She burst out laughing. "Don't do me any fucking favors! I don't want your help. I'm used to being miserable. Fuck you."

"Shizune!"

"Leave me alone! Can't you fucking take my side for once!" She slumped under her wooden roof and threw the blankets over her. "Go away."

"…Please…"

"GO AWAY!"

Raindrops slowly came down from the sky. The clouds were moving fast along the heavens. The pig woke up with a start after water dripped onto her face. She trotted underneath Shizune's roofing.

Tsunade watched them for a while. Shizune apparently fell asleep, as she started squirming, moaning sadly. Nightmares were easily plaguing her.

What were they about? Tsunade was afraid to think. She turned around and left the alley, walking through the rain-soaked streets with little regard to the people around her. The result of her past mistakes were still living, breathing, in that alley. A part of her wanted it to disappear. Another part wanted it to take her help. All she could do now was help Konoha, so heaven could find a reason to forgive her. And perhaps, Shizune could as well.

**XxXxXx**

Wahoo! School is over, and I'm officially a senior! YEAH! Now guess what that means? Well, senior means I'm the top of my school! Freshmen, beware! And summer means more time to write my fanfics. I still have summer homework for AP Literature. I'm anxiously awaiting my AP U.S. History results…man, it makes me nervous thinking about it! Anyone else take it? What did you think; personally I thought the DBQ was really easy, but I don't think I did it justice.

There was some Shikamaru development for you. As you can see, Temari has taken an interest in Shikamaru's case. Their connection has been made, but what will come out of her future prying? We got to see Sasuke training as well. Team 7's relationship looks like it was short-lived. We'll have to see whether it comes back or not. And prepare for a mission chapter next, because we've got Team 8 and Sasuke on one boat. Naruto was training Konohamaru…how sick is that boy, anyway? And Tsunade/Shizune development. Will Shizune ever accept Tsunade's help, after fifteen years of neglect?

I've been into the video game _Tales of the Abyss_ lately. I just love the characters; especially Luke's development. And Asch/Natalia is just amazing.

Did anyone go see _The Happening_? I recommend it for people seeking a good suspense flick.


	14. Struggle

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
****Slight AU warning.  
****Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!**

Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja trigger a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?

Note: _Italicized lines _often mean thoughts of a character or in some cases dreams. **Bolded lines **often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. _**Bolded italicized lines**_often mean flashbacks.

The Author Speaks: There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information given.There will be limes/_possible _lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes.

Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except all the characters are two years older than before the time-skip in the series (13 is 15, 26 is 28, etc). Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire.

Definitions:

None

Songs:  
"Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield (for Sasuke)  
"They All Fall Down" by SR-71  
"Letter – From the Lost Days" as heard in Silent Hill 3 and Silent Hill the movie

**Show Me a Hero**

_**Chapter 14 – Struggle**_

The sky held traces of orange from the sunrise illuminating the drowsy world. It was a pleasant morning. The wind was a little cold for the season, but the dew on the grass contained certain warmth that made the earth smile. In turn, the people smiled. Mornings like this were to be taken full advantage of, before it went back to the routine of coffee-drenched air and bad moods.

Sasuke played with a shuriken from his belt absentmindedly, waiting for the boarding to begin. Shino was leaning against a tree, looking as mysterious as ever with his sunglasses and a cigarette smoking in his fingers. Kiba and Hinata were sitting on the wet grass, talking. Kurenai was noticeably absent. A man who looked elegantly-dressed with his goldenrod robes was eyeing his guardians with some skepticism.

After another half-hour of waiting, the boat appeared. It floated slowly towards the docks. It looked a little big to be safely traveling a river, but it was the only dock Konoha had. The next closest place would be to go to Mirai and pay an extra thirteen-thousand ryo.

The gruff boatman hooked up the fine wooden ship and his crew put down the walkway so there would be no fear of hitting the water. Sasuke went over it, recalling the last time he had gone on a boat. It was about ten years ago, when his parents took Itachi to Kirigakure for his birthday. He didn't remember much about it, except that he had accidentally slipped off the walkway and into the water. He had thought he was going to drown, until his father pointed out that he had fallen on a shelf of land that he could stand on.

The raven-haired boy immediately explored. It was quite a nice ship, made of polished light wood with a large hull and a cabin area that could fit plenty of guests. It could take about thirty people easily. Currently there were twelve rooms occupied, most being businessmen, though there was one family from Suna.

Sasuke left the cabins in time to feel the boat pulling away cautiously in the narrow river. As he expected, there was no pink-haired girl waiting to see him off. He sighed.

A few people were a little annoyed about the detour, but they quieted when they saw the reason why.

The lord was talking to Team 8 in a cordial manner towards the front of the ship. "I will be retiring to my room for this trip. I have business to sort through. If I need you, I will have you called on."

"As you say, Michiru-sama," Hinata replied respectfully, bowing.

"Do you know how long this trip will take?" he asked her.

"I think around fourteen hours. We'll arrive very early next morning."

He nodded and left for the cabins. Kiba playfully punched Shino. "Hey, do you know if they sell food on this hunk? I didn't eat breakfast, and I'm starving…"

Shino shrugged, so Sasuke approached. "They have a food bar down in the cabins. It's not too expensive."

Kiba looked at Hinata. "Alright, thanks. Come on, accompany me while I get some sausages."

She blushed a little, looking at Sasuke shyly. "A-Ahh...okay…"

Sasuke's eyebrows rose from her strange reaction to his statement. He turned and looked out at the trees. He could see Konoha's frame just barely rising above the foliage. It looked like a peaceful backwoods town from this angle.

Shino was standing by him, shaking cigarette ashes into the water. Sasuke wished he could see past the boy's sunglasses, to see if he was appreciating the sights or if he was just finding something to look at.

"Shino, how's your father doing in his new job?" The silence was boring. He felt like talking.

"…" The boy looked at him slowly, as if contemplating whether to answer him or not. He threw the cigarette off the side of the ship. "…fine. He doesn't make nearly as much as he used to, but I suppose that's my loss more than anything…"

Sasuke knew what he meant. Shino's drugs. He wasn't sure whether Shibi gave his son money for drugs or if it was just a normal allowance. "Pretty lucky that your team was chosen for this mission. Scared?"

Shino chuckled. "Why should I be? The assassins are locked up. It seems that the higher ups in the Kage Bureau have taken notice of Konoha's increasing mission success due to your team, but they still don't trust us enough."

"At least you get a free boat trip. It's really nice, you know. Watching the ocean and seeing random fish and stuff…plus the sea breeze is nice once you get used to it." He leaned against the rails, headband shining from the sun's rays.

Shino had his headband on as well; it was the first time Sasuke had seen it on him. The boy sat down against the rails. "When we will be able to smell it?"

"Once we get out to sea, moron," he said playfully. Then he paused. "Sorry. I didn't mean that."

"I know you didn't," Shino chuckled. "It's a term males often say to their friends, because males are more aggressive with their language. Though I've heard Ino call Sakura some very vulgar terms before, all said with total compassion."

"Girls make no sense, do they? They're supposed to be dainty, and then all of a sudden they're bitching at you." Sasuke never thought he'd see the day where he'd be talking to Shino about girls.

"It's because of the freedoms they're given. With more freedom come more expansive personalities." He pulled out a silver case he kept in his shirt pocket and opened it, examining something inside. Nodding, he snapped it shut and stored it in his pocket.

"Yeah, I guess." Talking to Shino like this suddenly made Sasuke miss Naruto and Sakura a lot more. He hardly ever got to train with Naruto. Sakura wasn't even trained by Kakashi anymore. She was always with Tsunade or at work. Naruto, even though he no longer had to take any more of those stupid seal-strengthening classes, occupied himself with training Lord Sarutobi's grandson. He came to training, but it was hard to find him free any other time.

He had been so lost in sentimental thoughts had he hadn't noticed Shino's dark gaze on him the whole time. "What?"

"When did you become so sociable?" Shino was audibly confused.

Sasuke smirked. "I dunno. When did you ever talk so much? Nah, I shouldn't say that. I guess after hanging out with Team 7 for the first couple of months, I lightened up. I had no exposure to different opinions when I was growing up. It was always the Uchiha nindo I followed. Even after the massacre, I refused to take any other point of view…until Sakura and Naruto beat some sense into me. It was the Chuunin exams that really opened up my eyes to a new life. One where I'd stop following just one path, and go down every road I came across."

Though he was watching the water, Sasuke knew Shino was listening. "…You're a risk-taker, then. That's something I tend not to do. I'm always looking for the perfect amount of something, so I know I don't have to change it."

Sasuke shrugged. "Whatever you want to think, think it. I'm not gonna argue."

"…You didn't tell anyone of my using when you caught me in Otogakure. That was generous of you."

Now that was a strange subject change. Sasuke knew it was too late to act like he didn't know what the guy was talking about, so he shrugged it off. He still wanted to tell Kurenai, but if Shino was confiding in him that he was aware of Sasuke's inspection, then perhaps there was a trust that had been built. Sasuke valued trust, because he used to not trust anyone but himself.

A realization dawned on him. "Where is Kurenai-sensei? I didn't see her get on the boat."

Shino chuckled in a low, amused note. "Kurenai-sensei is not here. She said she didn't want to go. Apparently, she gets sea sickness."

The Uchiha stared at him, appalled. "She's a goddamn teacher! She can't do something like that! It's against the Shinobi Code. Her license will get suspended if she's caught…"

The other boy shrugged. "I'm not saying what she did was right. However, if her irresponsibility leads her to losing her job, then it is what should happen. How will she learn her lesson if she's saved all the time?"

Shino was an insightful person. He was another example of a person that was hard to pass judgment on. Sure, he did drugs. A lot more shinobi probably did as well. Hell, even Naruto used to smoke pot with his former friends in his rebellious days. Even with the habit, Shino held an air of intelligence and virtue.

This got Sasuke to wonder. "Why did you start with drugs in the first place? You seem like a guy who understands life and all of that deeper meaning stuff…"

He shrugged again. "It's not important as to why I started. My father taught me well. I never went to regular school until the ninja academy."

Another surprise. Sasuke stared, wide-eyed. "So you grew up like me. Then why did we turn out different?"

"Think carefully before you speak," Shino said. "I may have been home schooled like you, but we did not grow up similarly at all. I grew up with the ability to go to every part of Konoha. I visited the parks, read whatever books I wanted to, snuck into movie theatres…you lived a sheltered life within the Uchiha district, surrounded by your family. You were exposed only to Uchiha values, to a clean, crime-free world where you and Itachi were treated like special boys because your father headed the police force. We were nothing alike. We aren't alike now, either."

"…Would you say that's a bad thing?"

He shook his head. "If a person is too much like another, their friendship turns into a competition."

That raised a question up to Sasuke's lips. It took a moment to shove it out. "Do you have friends?"

He looked taken aback. "I have acquaintances. I'm not fickle with friends. A friend is someone I can trust my life with. I'm not a socialite. But there are people who are making a path to becoming my friend."

"Hinata and Kiba? It seemed like you and him were palling around before." Sasuke's stomach growled lightly. It looked like his breakfast had been too light.

"Kiba is an acquaintance, more than Hinata. He talks to me more. I can tell he's a troubled person, because his actions towards her are too rough to be normal. I don't know if there's a reason for it, but I don't care enough about him to pry." Shino watched the dark-eyed boy pull a white packet of something from his pocket.

Sasuke knew what was going through his mind. "It's not drugs. And that's kinda harsh, don't you think? That you don't care enough about him…what if he died?" He ripped open the packet of ketchup and stuck it in between his lips, sucking.

"I'd be sad, because I knew him and spent time with him. I wouldn't cry. You might think that's strange, but I honestly don't know my team well. They're like the people you had to be in a group with in the academy, for all those exercises. The official status of our team doesn't make us close." He watched Sasuke, interested.

"You have a point. It's just depressing, I think, especially since you've had so much time together," Sasuke said after sucking the packet dry and licking the inside of his mouth clean.

"Kurenai let us do what we wanted. I don't have a lot of energy, because of my constant using. Hinata is very weak and doesn't like fighting, and Kiba is too horny to want to do anything other than show Hinata off and fuck her." Shino took in a breath. "I would like to be a ninja…but I fear it's too late for me to be a good one."

There was no way he could give up so easily. Sasuke wouldn't allow it. "Don't say things like that. You've got time. Stop using drugs. I mean, I know it's not easy, but if you get it through your head you don't need it, then…"

"You misunderstand what it means to be addicted. It's not only psychological. It's physical as well. You can't change your body merely by thinking. That's what an illusion is called. You might be in paradise while your body rots away." Shino stepped away from the rails and started walking away. "You know, Sasuke," he began, "you might have a little addiction of your own."

Sasuke looked at the crumpled-up ketchup packet in his hand. "No way, that's on a much lower level than yours." He looked up at Shino, and gasped in surprise.

The boy was smiling at him. It was a small one, but it was genuine. He waved once. "I'm going to my cabin."

Sasuke was paralyzed from that sight. A moment passed before he could respond. "Y-Yeah…okay…"

Shino left the deck, leaving Sasuke there to think about what he had just seen. Perhaps it was because he had never witnessed it before, but Shino smiling seemed endearing. It was like that cold teacher who awarded their student with a piece of candy. It was rare, but comforting.

_Alright, Sasuke. Stop being gay and go get some food. _He laughed as he walked into the cabin.

**XxXxXx**

Temari had woken up late accidentally. Kankuro and Gaara had already gone. To do what, she didn't know. At least it left her with some free time. She got herself ready with a tradition Suna summer robe and strapped her fan to her back. She left her hair down; it was a little late to do anything with it anyway.

She left the hotel and walked around the streets just to look. It was actually quite nice not to have Kankuro nag about the sorry state of the village so she could make her own judgments.

Konoha really was a miserable place. The buildings were dilapidated, the streets were cluttered with people and carts selling low-quality items, there were skeletons of trees the color of ash lining the road. Still, the air was nice and the sun was high, so Konoha had a sort of glow to it, even if it was a crappy place.

It was the people Temari were most interested in. The adults always looked tired, the teenagers looked pissed off, and the little kids looked wild. To see how living in a hovel could affect the minds and goals of those around her…it was fascinating.

There was that boy. Shikamaru, his name was, and he was lounging in the hotel she was staying in. He wasn't homeless, but he chose to remain away from home. He wasn't bad-looking, but he chose to remain away from women. He wasn't stupid, but he chose to remain away from conversation.

He was just another boy in the town that intrigued her, more so than others because she had witnessed him with his friends. She wondered when his problems would fix themselves, or if they would at all.

There was a grocery store nearby. It was a nice time to take a look at what Konoha offered. After all, if Sunagakure was going to be taking the town over, they'd have to have provisions available.

The store was small, but it held quite a variety of things. She was surprised that the store was in good condition; then again, the owners probably were some of the richest people in the town. She walked through the aisles, looking for meats that Gaara would approve of. She passed by the vegetable aisle, and noticed that the container where they throw hundreds of ketchup packets was nearly empty.

A boy was looking at the dismally low container forlornly. "Looks like Sasuke got to it before me," he said.

Temari recognized him as the fat boy that had confronted Shikamaru. She smiled at him when he turned to move down the aisle. He looked at her shyly, like a deer caught in the headlights. He didn't know what to do. As most people did, he opted out of talking to her and walked past her.

"Hey, you're kinda rude," she said.

"_**Speak to the people. See what they have to say about the condition of Konoha." Their father paced up and down the room, looking at them. "See what they have to say about Sunagakure."**_

_**Kankuro was sitting on a stool that used to hold a vase, smirking. "Come on, I bet those worms don't even know where the hell Suna is."**_

"_**Their growing friendship with Otogakure is worrying me. Learn anything you can about their thoughts on Oto. As we all know, it was Otogakure that captured Suna's glory for its own. The Otokage will be quite surprised to find that its new friend is under our command." He laughed, and waved his hand. "My children, go. Become sleeper agents for the Kazekage. When the time comes, Gaara will prove to be useful."**_

_**Temari looked at her little brother, staring at the floor with a bestial gleam in his grass-colored eyes. "You shouldn't say that he's useless, Father."**_

"_**Well, what does he do? Ever since he was infused with Shukaku, he is no more than a dog. You can't deny that."**_

_**Kankuro frowned. "Well yeah, and it's been a bitch taking care of him, but it's still kinda mean to say that, Dad."**_

_**The man glared at them. "Don't challenge my thoughts. Go to Konoha. We will send messengers periodically so you can give your reports."**_

His face flushed. She felt sort of bad for putting him in such an awkward position. "S-Sorry…um…"

"No, it's fine," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "Hey, I'm not from these parts, if you couldn't tell. I was just wondering what you think about Konoha."

Chouji looked at her strangely, as if he was wondering why a strange lady was asking him questions. "Sure, uh…" he didn't really know what to say. If she was wearing a headband, that meant she might be there on official business, and Chouji wanted to be helpful. "Konoha's a pretty bad place to live if you don't have a lot of money. Once you're here, it's usually for life. We don't have a lot of big-time brand names around here, so the most successful people are people who own their own stores. Lord Sarutobi does what he can, but we don't have a lot of funds to work with. Luckily, Tsunade-san has been helping him and she seems to be doing a good job with renovations and money distribution."

"Tsunade-san? Do you mean the traveling healer Tsunade, of the three Sannin?" Temari asked, interested.

"Oh, you know of the Sannin? Good, then you know of her fame. It's also nice that she's friends with the Otokage, because he's trying to help Konoha as much as he can. He's a really good man," Chouji beamed. "And a product of our village too! Isn't that weird?"

When he got the confidence to do it, the fatso sure liked talking. Temari nodded. "Mm, very weird. So Konoha-Oto relations are good?"

"Well, there are those Oto ninja who think we're trash, and I guess a lot of us are," he admitted sadly. "It seems Konoha-nin don't really know how to be good ninja, or even good people. My friend for example…"

He was mentioning Shikamaru? How amusing, that she came to the conclusion that she'd leave him alone and suddenly his presence was dropped into a conversation.

"I do believe I saw him. He's lounging at the inn I'm staying at; brown hair and skinny?"

Chouji looked at her with a grimace. "Yeah, that's him. I know he's probably been real rude to you, but…I don't know. Part of me really hates what he is now…he used to know how to smile."

Temari's blood turned to ice. Though it seemed unlikely, she saw herself reflected in this boy's eyes. What this boy was saying about Shikamaru was so similar to things she had once said. She realized where her interest in Shikamaru came from.

"R-Really?"

Chouji nodded. "Yeah."

_**Chouji watched jealously as the boys and girls all played tag around him. He was sitting by the swing set, wishing that someone had included him in the game. A few others were watching, laughing and yelling at their friends, but they were only waiting to be included because they knew they would be. Chouji was never included.**_

_**What else was he supposed to do during recess? He wasn't allowed to stay in the classroom, and the last time he brought his book outside to read, Kiba Inuzuka stole it and threw it in the garbage.**_

_**From then on, he just decided to sit and watch everyone have fun. Usually he would lapse into thought about what he'd do when he got home, or try to memorize something that would be on a test later.**_

_**He closed his eyes and tilted his head towards the sky. Mom would probably be making a really nice dinner for him. A plump roast chicken with herbs and fresh lemon squeezed over it, and to the side a mound of brown rice and mashed potatoes with cinnamon apples. Yeah, that sounded like a good dinner.**_

_**He was rudely interrupted from his daydream when something slammed into him. Eyes shooting open in pain, he saw a bully standing over him, hand outstretched. "You're it, fatass."**_

"_**What? But I'm not playing," Chouji told him.**_

"_**Get up, meatbag! Stop ruining the game!"**_

_**Everyone giggled when he slowly got up, a little dizzy after being thrust from his daydream. He started running after the bully, only to find out that he—and everyone else—was a lot faster than him.**_

_**Chouji was never good with sports. He would have no energy after the warm-up jog and would be and the receiving end of many jokes for it. After all, what good was a future ninja if he couldn't even run for more than five minutes? **_

_**Now he realized he would have rather stayed away from participating in these games. Every time he trudged after a girl she'd scream and easily outrun him, calling him a loser for going after a girl and being too slow to catch up to her. Either way, he was a fatass moron.**_

_**He stopped in the middle of chasing a smaller boy. Tears were threatening to spill over his eyelids, but he couldn't cry in front of all his classmates. It would just make him much more of a whining pork-face.**_

"_**Hey, come on! Recess ends in ten minutes, we're tired of waiting for you!" someone yelled.**_

"_**Man, you guys are a real drag," said Shikamaru Nara. He had not been in the tag game. Instead, he was sitting on the top of the playground set and doing sudoku puzzles.**_

_**If there was one guy Chouji had always wanted to be, it was that guy. Shikamaru was lazy, yes, and he always failed tests because he didn't feel like picking up a pencil for something so boring, but he was always doing puzzles and speeding through difficult questions the teacher would ask him. Rumors had floated in the teacher's lounge that he should have finished regular school by now and entered the academy, but his laziness held him down. Chouji wished he could be lazy like Shikamaru and still be so skinny, because the guy was a twig. He was tall, brown-haired, and cool, even if he didn't care about being cool. Plus, he had an earring! No one his age had an earring.**_

"_**The hell asked you, Nara," Kiba sneered, sitting down on the jungle gym. "Chow-ji is just taking such a long time I'm getting gray hairs."**_

"_**You can't possibly be getting gray hairs at your age," Shikamaru muttered, sounding bored as he always did. "Leave the kid alone, your taunting is keeping me from finishing this puzzle."**_

_**Everyone shrugged and started playing around Chouji, who plodded away, looking dismal but grateful. He sat underneath Shikamaru. "Thanks," he whispered.**_

"_**Whatever. They're all drags. Morons, every one of them."**_

_**He usually waited until lunchtime to pull it out, but he fished through his coat and took out a bag of barbeque potato chips. He held the bag up to Shikamaru's level. "Want one?"**_

_**There was a pause, and a rustling of the bag. "Don't mind if I do."**_

"He was a really nice guy." Chouji hovered around the market, Temari following. He picked up a frozen dinner and then looked up at her. "Sorry I spilled that memory on you, but I like talking to people. I'll probably never see you again so you can just throw that in the back of your mind and continue on your way."

Casting his words of dismissal aside, Temari stayed rooted to her spot. This boy, this Shikamaru Nara, his little boy self was so interesting to her. There was everything that made up _him_: the arrogance, the kindness…and suddenly, it was gone. She couldn't let his story be finished now.

"Tell…tell me more. About your friend." She couldn't hide her desperation.

The boy smiled, for he secretly wanted to tell her more. She could be the bear at his bedside, taking all the curses and gossip he spilled. Yet, there was another side that he couldn't tell her. It wasn't his right to talk about the earth-shattering moment he had just recently learn himself. It should be entrusted to the one who ripped his happiness in half.

"If you want to know more, you'd have to ask my friend Ino. She works at the Yamanaka Flower Shop. Tell her Chouji told you were to go, and she should be okay."

Temari crossed her arms. "Well, I'll check it out then. T-Thanks." She waved and left the shop, stomach tied up in knots. All this time she'd thought there was no one in the world like Gaara. There was no other savage, unfeeling beast. Perhaps she had found one. Perhaps Shikamaru was just like Gaara. And if he was, she could use him to cure Gaara.

_Konoha isn't a total trash heap after all_.

**XxXxXx**

The boat was far out to sea now. There weren't any landmasses to be seen anywhere, and the fog rising up from the indigo water obscured the blue scenery, making the whole scene a little ominous. The sliver of a moon gave no adequate light for the people on the ship's deck, so they had to make do with the lanterns set al around the perimeter.

Sasuke was sitting at the food bar, eating a cheese and tomato sandwich. He wasn't tired at all, but he had brought nothing to do. He hadn't raveled in such a long time, he forgot to bring the necessary amusement. Looked like he'd have to go up to the deck and train while feeling the sea breeze against his skin. How was he supposed to practice Chidori surrounded by people?

He chewed thoughtfully, thinking about Kiri. It was a nice, bright place, a contrast of the dry and ugly Konoha. People were friendly and stores were big. There were rivers everywhere. Sasuke didn't like swimming, much, so he had never fancied living there. Not to mention, it was pretty crowded because of its nice weather. What was wrong with winter? It gave him stuff to do, like shovel snow. He loved shoveling snow, because it not only was exercise but it was an amusing pastime, especially with Sakura around. He would 'accidentally' dump snow on her leg and cause her to fall over into the white ground and then a snowball fight would ensue…afterwards they'd have hot chocolate.

Of course, that was all a dream because they weren't very close in the winter. Sure, she was living with him, but that was all. He had been too busy training her to build a relationship.

In a cabin down the hall from the food bar, Shino was sitting on his bed with the silver case. He popped it open, and it contained two thin needles and vials of a greenish liquid. He took out a needle and a vial, squirting the cleaning fluid out of the needle and sticking it through the soft top of the vial. His hands were shaking, but he forced them to calm down. Shino had managed to last until night, when he suddenly started to experience the symptoms. Sweating a little, he rocked back and forth as he placed the needle against his skin.

Zuro had happily provided the concoction of his own making as a customer reward for Shino. It was a reward for over a year of loyal purchases, he had said. Zuro said the needles were a little long, so they shouldn't be filled completely. When Shino questioned what was in the vials, Zuro didn't give him a straight answer, but he allowed Shino to try it out right there and it made him feel wonderful. He hoped that Zuro would provide him with more later.

The needle slid into his skin easily, and he began to press the plunger down, injecting the fluid into his flesh. He moaned just a little as the warm liquid rushed into him, the feeling was always intoxicating.

Just then, when he was savoring the moment of peace, something hit the boat extremely hard.

The entire front of the boat flew up into the air while the back nearly slipped under the sea. Screams filled the space above Shino as the cabins seemed higher then they should have been.

He fell backwards and hit the wall. He started to shake again, from the impact he thought, until he looked down at the needle. It was still stuck in his arm, and the plunger was completely down. The entire liquid had been pushed into his body. He pulled the needle out when it dawned on him what was happening. His vision started to blur and his body started burning, as if his blood had been turned to fire. He fell over, trying to regain his composure. His heart had sunk. _I-I'm dying and I can't do anything about it…oh god, someone, help me, PLEASE!_

Shino couldn't make a sound. Tears ran down his face as his glasses cracked under the pressure of his face, and he collapsed.

Kiba was thrown off of Hinata. His claws sunk into the sheets instinctively and he fell off the bed, taking the sheet with him. Hinata covered up her naked body, looking distressed. "W-What happened?" she murmured.

"I have no fucking clue," Kiba snarled, throwing the sheets back on her and getting on a pair of boxers to go see what was wrong.

Sasuke fell off his stool, his head getting smashed by another one. Cursing wildly he scrambled up, using the wall for support while his head spun. He ran up to the deck and was thrown aside by a person heading in his direction.

Once again, his head spun, so he sat there for a moment, recollecting his mind. He looked up at the deck to see fumes pouring from the side of the ship. Two people were standing in the midst of the fumes. They were wearing tight black clothing and various sharp weapons were attached to them; both looked amused and professional.

It dawned on him who they were. He immediately pulled out a shuriken and ducked behind a crate, looking at their cheeks. Two tattoos from prison, and virulent looks.

_Shit._

"Alright, stop running around like rabid dogs!" one of them yelled, stomping the ground and sending a powerful shockwave across the ship. The mother on board hugged her baby daughter tightly as she crumpled to the ground, shielding her baby.

"Where is Michiru Kobashi? Don't tell me you've never heard of him because we all know he's here. We spent hours in the fog waiting for that bastard and trust me, no one's going to arrive alive and well if we don't find our target." The assassin played with his scraggly beard while he spoke. He crazed dark eyes burned a hole through the sobbing woman. "Hmm, do you know? Do ya?!"

He aimed a kick at her; the baby started screaming.

Sasuke flicked the shuriken; it embedded itself in the guy's leg. He yelled and pulled it out, spraying blood on the woman.

"Run, run NOW!" Sasuke screamed, jumping from his hiding place while making sure every weapon he had was in reach.

The woman nodded and made her way to another part of the ship as Sasuke stood where she had been, twirling another shuriken around his finger and looking virulent.

"Good job, kid," the second assassin murmured, chewing tobacco. "Now we know he's onboard, if a stinking ninja is here." His eyes flashed to his headband, and he nearly choked on his tobacco laughing. "Konoha? Of all the people that idiot could hire, he chose a bunch of kids from Konoha?!"

Sasuke frowned, hoping to heaven that the other three would be helpful. The arena was too small for any mistakes. He had to stall the two on the top, and come to think of it, why were there two assassins when they just had to kill one man?

He heard a piercing scream from the cabins. Expletives filled his head. _Fuck, fuck, fuck there's more than two, shit...please help me, you guys._

Hinata held the blanket close to her, staring at the black-clad man ogling her with one eye, and the headband on the floor with the other. Kiba was snarling, wearing only boxers so his muscles could be seen bulging from his anger.

"Who the fuck are you!" Kiba circled the bed. Though he was on his feet, he wasn't unlike a wolf protecting his territory.

The assassin noticed his feral persona and chuckled. "What, planning on biting me little doggie? Who the hell moves like that?"

The difference in Kiba was noticeable. His snarling wasn't that of an angry boy; it was of a vicious beast unwilling to have anyone encroach on his space. Hinata shook partly because of him. She reached for her clothes, heart beating loudly. She tried to hush it in her mind out of fear that Kiba would hear it and grow nastier.

"Since I interrupted you," the assassin didn't seem to care that they were ninja. He was holding no weapon and wore an amused expression. "I'll give this moment to you. Get dressed and tell me where Michiru is."

The three stared at one another for what seemed like hours before his harsh tone made Hinata jump. "In front of me, bitch, get fucking dressed!"

Kiba lost all composure. His blood boiled with the man's comments. They popped all along his skin and made him uncontrollable. Claws dug into the man's face and started ripping his flesh off. It didn't matter that his victim and his girlfriend were screaming in unison; just the feel of his enemy being crushed under the weight of his viciousness satisfied him.

The man tore away from him, his face a bloody mess. He produced a sword from his back and stabbed it straight into Kiba, but the steel was only a painful annoyance to the beast-boy. An inhuman laugh rang through the cabin as he jumped against the walls, avoiding the bed where Hinata lay trembling. The assassin couldn't keep up with his movements. The style of his fighting was nothing he had come against. There was no calculation; no evidence of thought. It was pure, animalistic rage. How could he figure out the strategy of an unthinking monster?

Hinata nearly succumbed to the thick stench of blood coating the wall. She threw the blanket over her, unwilling to see Kiba commit another atrocity to his attacker. A sliver of her was grateful to be protected, but the rest wanted to jump off the boat and swim far away.

Kiba knew now why his mother hurt him so easily. When one was consumed by instinct, one couldn't be reasoned with. He didn't care that Hinata was afraid. He _relished _the thought. Everyone would fear him, and if they thought otherwise then it was their funeral.

Someone pulled him off of the man and threw him against the wall. Slowly, the room faded back to its original color from red. He remembered what he was doing and where he was, and sat down on the edge of the bed to catch his breath. When he put his hands up to his face to regain himself, blood smeared against his cheeks and nose.

Sasuke tried to avoid the pool of blood that was once the assassin. His mind whirled. Kiba surprised him with the ferocity. For that brief amount of time, he was stronger than a fully-trained assassin. He could challenge a Jounin. But it was power that humans could outsmart with practice. It wasn't seasoned; it was power in its raw form.

"Well, we have one down."

Kiba looked up at him. "One down?"

"There are two above deck. I honestly don't know how many assassins are on the boat. I'm combing the cabins for them, and I need your help."

Kiba nodded, feeling strangely tired. Had his outburst cost him needed energy? He stood up and wiped the blanket Hinata was using on his face to try and get the blood off. It was making him dizzy. "Y-Yeah, sure." This wasn't like him. He was never so submissive.

Sasuke took that moment to illustrate his plan. "I'm gonna look through the cabins and make sure Michiru-sama is okay—"

"T-There is a trapdoor in Michiru-sama's room t-that leads to the power room," Hinata told them, pawing for her clothes.

The Uchiha nodded. "Good. Okay then. I'm going to go look for Shino." He turned and rushed out of the room, down towards the bar across from which Shino stayed.

The door was unlocked; carefully slipping into it he saw Shino on the floor. A sick sensation crawled through him—the assassins couldn't have gotten to him?! He bent down and grabbed him, turning him over.

Sasuke blanched. "Oh my god."

Shino was shivering, beads of sweat dripping down his face as an unidentifiable white liquid frothed from his mouth, little bubbles dribbling down his chin and popping. He was paler than snow, and just as cold.

Sasuke saw the needle in his arm. "Oh, no! No, shit! Shino, what did you do? Holy shit," he said, shaking as he pulled out the needle. There wasn't a reply.

Shino's sunglasses were askew on his face; Sasuke removed them and fell back. His eyes were bloodshot almost to pure red; his eyelids were puffy and barely open. Now Sasuke knew why he always concealed his eyes.

Sasuke grabbed him again, not really sure what to do. He didn't know if it was possible to give him air, with all of that liquid. Dammit! If he has just brought this addiction to someone's attention he wouldn't be overdosing on him right now! And of all the times, why did it have to be on a boat under attack?!

As if the world was against him, the door was blown off its hinges. Two assassins walked in, holding kunai and poison bombs. Their attention immediately went to the boys on the floor.

_Fuck!_

Sasuke jumped away from them, still holding Shino who fell onto him. With remorse he pushed him off and pulled out a kunai to match them.

"Oh, look, a ninja from Konoha," one laughed, starting to tear holes in the wall looking for any possibly hideaway.

"Let's treat him like everyone else does; ignore him." The other threw the bed out into the hallway and stomped at the ground, blue hair falling in front of his eyes.

Sasuke was burning, but he didn't provoke them. What he needed was to keep Shino from dying. He crawled to him and started to gather him in his arms. Shino suddenly screamed through his mucus and sat up, shaking horribly and lurching himself at the blue-haired ninja, completely oblivious to the situation.

The ninja growled and aimed his kunai at him, slashing him across the cheek. Shino spun and hit the wall, convulsing. He glowed for a second.

An ash-colored bug crawled out of his wound and took flight. It buzzed pathetically towards the ninja and fell moments after flight.

"What the fuck?" the ninja said in disgust. His comrade and Sasuke also stared.

Bugs started to crawl from Shino's skin. It was a shriveled bunch, like flying raisins. They covered Shino's face with a black cloud, greedily slurping up the mucus smeared on his skin. Unexpectedly, they flew at the blue-haired ninja's face as well, most dying on the trip. Dead bugs littered the floor. Those that survived landed on the enemy's face. What they were doing, Sasuke didn't know until the ninja screamed and began punching himself in the face, squishing bugs into his fists and cheeks. At first, the Uchiha thought the bugs were liquidating as they hit the floor, until closer inspection revealed the liquid falling from his face was blood.

When the ninja took his hands away from his face, Sasuke yelled in horror.

The skin on the man's face had been eaten off; in their desperation the bugs went for sustenance. Now fat and satiated, they too died, decorating the white of his skull with goo as he hit the ground. His partner screamed and aimed a kunai straight for Shino; Sasuke recovered from his shock and grabbed him, ducking out of the room and running to find Hinata and Kiba.

They had moved to another room with the other passengers; they gasped when Sasuke kicked open the door and lay Shino down. He was still. Hinata shrieked. "He's dead!"

"He's not dead, he overdosed," Sasuke clarified. "I need someone who's a doctor!"

"He overdosed? He's on drugs? What the fuck man!" Kiba snarled, looking ready to snap the unconscious boy's neck.

"Is anyone here a doctor?!" Sasuke repeated impatiently. "I don't have time for shyness! I need to go kill those assassins, now for the last time is somebody a doctor!"

A woman shakily raised her hand, still holding her child. "I am a nursing assistant at a hospital in Suna, but I'm no medic-nin."

"Good enough. He's overdosing, can you help him?"

She nodded. "I'll try, honestly." She put her child down. "Go with daddy. Don't worry, the big ninjas are going to help us," she assured as the child remained still, sniffling.

Hinata watched the boy smile at her when he saw her headband. Her heart sank. They were like police. People saw them and automatically assumed they would be safe. If there was any trouble, the ninja would come and help them. That's what they were there for, to help. If they didn't help, they weren't living up to their responsibility.

Hinata didn't want that. She became a ninja because of her clan's wish. Every member of the main family had to; otherwise they were spoiling the family name. Neji chose to become a ninja in order to prove his worth as a branch member. Funny, how she would gladly live in servitude when she had the gift of main blood.

"I'm going out there," Sasuke said once he was sure Shino was in good hands. "They're going to sink us if they don't find Michiru-san."

"Let me help. Teach them to fuck with us." Kiba had no weapons with him, but his claws were already growing razor-sharp.

Hinata remained silent. When they both looked at her, a cold sweat appeared on her forehead. "I-I'm scared…"

Her boyfriend frowned. "What do you mean you're scared? The fuck do you think we wear this headband for, fashion? Let's go!"

"I-I can't do it," she whimpered. "Please go without me, I'll stay w-with Shino. I don't want to."

"Do I have to ask you again?!" Kiba roared, hands curling into fists.

"Stop it!" Sasuke cut in between them, not wanting him to go berserk around the civilians. "We don't have time to argue, let's go!"

He stepped out the doorway and looked at Kiba expectantly. He snarled at Hinata before leaving with the Uchiha. He was shaking a little, whether out of fear or out of excitement Sasuke couldn't tell. His own hands remained on his pouch, ready to attack.

They stepped onto the deck. It was unnecessarily foggy. Chunks of wood lay strewn all over the place, some dangerously sharp and concealed. The boat floated its course with the waves splashing against its sides. Sasuke and Kiba stayed close, looking around.

Kiba's ears twitched. He sniffed the air while he examined the exterior. Sasuke hadn't noticed it before, but he was making no noise as he moved.

Kiba pointed at the captain's office and flexed his claws. Sasuke nodded and took out a kunai. It felt like it took two years to get out.

Kiba jumped onto the wood siding and crawled up to the office door. He gathered chakra into his hands, remembering his sister's favorite moves. Two assassins stood with the frightened captain. He was badly beaten and had vomited more twice out of fear.

Chakra sprung around his feet. He readied himself. "Four Legs Technique," he whispered and sprung at the glass. It shattered underneath his weight and speed, surprising the assassins who shielded themselves reflexively. Kiba jumped on one of them, executing a flurry of slashes and bites to the face, grabbing his shirt collar by the jaw and flinging him from the office.

"Sasuke, back me up!" he called, as the other assassin growled and punched him. Kiba slid across the floor but pivoted with his legs and sprang again.

"Acid Floor Jutsu," the assassin snarled. The floor underneath turned a brilliant purple and started oozing. Kiba's foot hit the wood; it started to burn. He yelped and grabbed onto the assassin, who flipped him straight onto the wood. A searing pain crawled up his back. "SASUKE!" he screamed, feeling his clothes burn away underneath him. He jumped backwards onto the broken frames, a piece of glass sticking right into his foot. The assassin laughed as more pain hit him and he fell backwards, hitting the floor and losing his sight.

Sasuke was in no position to help Kiba. The assassin whose partner had been eaten by Shino's bugs was back and had nailed him straight into the wall with a literal giant nail through the shoulder. The assassin Kiba mauled was punching him with bronze knuckles. Sasuke's heart beat loudly in his ears and drowned out his screams of pain when each punch connected. He grabbed the nail and pulled it from the wall, stumbling forward and head butting the knuckled assassin straight in the chin.

He ran to Kiba, pulling the nail out along the way and throwing it like a kunai at his two abusers. "Kiba," he panted, "we need to take them out one at a time."

The dog-boy yelped as he pulled the glass from his foot. He nodded. "First rule of the hunt: take out the slowest." He eyed the one with the bronze knuckles, who was still stumbling around the boat. With a grin, he rushed at the man and jumped into the air, claws grown and deadly.

The assassin barely had time to look before the nails dug into his face, ripping skin and blinding him as his eyes were coated in blood. He swung his hand wildly and connected with Kiba's side; the latter yelped and hit the ground, ducking to avoid another blow.

Sasuke avoided a nail straight through the skull, and with precision performed the hand movements necessary for attack. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" he bellowed as a massive orb of flames spun around in his hands, exerting sweat-provoking heat. He aimed and threw it at the knuckled assassin, who shielded himself with a barrier jutsu. The flames pure heat alone burned through the barrier, causing his knuckles to melt.

"What? N-NO!" the assassin screamed, as the knuckles turned into a gooey mess that molded his fingers together, burning them.

Kiba threw himself onto the assassin and started clawing him with no mercy, as Sasuke turned and aimed more fireballs at the other two who were keeping caution. He felt his chakra drop significantly and he stopped; for that moment, they rushed at the weakened shinobi, going on each side of him.

"Twin Impalement!" they yelled, as two sharp swords protruded from their hands, the two ends seemingly attracted to each other—and Sasuke's heart.

Sasuke held out a shuriken to one side, deflecting a blade so it aimed to the ground. It wasn't convinced, and immediately snapped up to connect with the other sword that he felt pierce his arm. He screamed and jumped; the swords followed. It was then he realized what they were. _A seeking jutsu. They're looking to connect, and kill me at the same time!_

He took off running, first jumping onto the rail of the boat. The swords followed, not giving up even when they were temporarily diverted by some jutsu. He took a deep breath and jumped to avoid one, twisting and turning around the rails to try and get one stuck. He did manage successfully, but its sheer will broke through the rail and nearly sent him overboard.

Kiba appeared by one of the assassins. He was blood-covered and virulent, ready to slit a throat or two. They both noticed and turned their attention on him, ganging up on each side and attacking without pause.

The swords continued following. Sasuke felt a cut open on his shoulder; suddenly his arm was warm with blood. He jumped again, running to where Kiba was in hope that the swords would go through one of the attackers.

Kiba was grappling with one while another prepared an attack from behind. With a desperate yowl, he tried to pick up the assassin and throw him; it ended up completely opposite. Kiba flew backwards into the other's kunai. He coughed heavily and shook violently from the pain. Sasuke jumped over him to avoid crashing. As soon as he did so, he wanted to move back. But he couldn't.

_Oh, no._

The sword caught Kiba straight in the face. Kiba screamed and flew towards Sasuke, becoming disconnected from the blade for just a moment, before the sword completely ran through him, wriggling out the other side to continue its pursuit as if Kiba was just another obstacle.

"NO!" Sasuke yelled, but couldn't remain in one spot. With frustration he jumped on the rail and over the side of the boat. The air was cool, he could have been flying. The water wasn't as far away as it looked, and soon he connected with the salty depths. His bone cracked from the force of contact, and he sunk.

The swords hit the surface and exploded, finally finding something they could not overcome. Sasuke kept sinking, trying to recollect his thoughts. Kiba was hurt, was he dead? Were they both going to die? What about Shino and Hinata? What about all of the people on the boat?

_I'm not giving up. I'm just taking a breather._

A breather underwater. Now that was amusing. Sasuke sunk as began to lose sight of the boat's underbelly. It was so quiet. Just the sound of the water and rippling coral reef. He could lay here for hours and just be lost in serenity.

However, he felt the need to breathe and that was near impossible where he was hanging out. He put his hands together, stopping in mid-sink. There was something he needed to do. Both of the enemies were tricky, and they couldn't be separated or defeated if they were so skilled at seeking jutsu. Collecting chakra at the bottom of his feet, he kicked up and propelled out of the water, hitting air in seconds. He ran up the side of the boat, hands wrapping around the rail. He flung himself forward and flipped in the air, attaching himself to the roof of the semi-destroyed cabin.

A trail of blood started from where Kiba had been last; he was now panting behind a piece of debris as the assassins cheerfully spoke of the ways he was going to die, readying their weapons.

Sasuke put his hands together and performed the difficult hand movements as he went over their order in his head. His eyes were squeezed shut—not the smartest idea in the midst of battle, but that was the only way he had been able to move onto the next step. When he opened them again, Kiba had moved back into the line of fire and was attacking them feebly. It was a distraction.

Sasuke thanked Kiba quietly and knew that in a few moments, everyone's eyes would be on him. He felt the chakra welling up in his chest and, as slow as molasses, move up into his hand. The process was painful enough for him to repeat a dictionary of swears in his head, but finally he felt the power that was so wonderful it could be addicting.

The chakra appeared around his hand. The air around him was heavy from him sucking up all of the energy; it crackled and started growing louder. It was then that the assassins noticed him. They pointed; one threw Kiba away and started towards him. Defenseless, motionless, him.

It was at this point that he always failed. The chakra burst in seconds, damaging the surroundings but never having the full effect. Sasuke prepared for the surge, hoping that the enemy reached in time to be struck by it. To his amazement, his feet felt so light, as if something had cut the binds keeping him rooted in place.

He stepped forward. The energy shook but didn't waiver. Sasuke gazed at his hand in sheer amazement. His heart began to beat quickly, and he smirked as he stepped forward a few more times before running at the assassins.

They both stopped dead, gazing at the chakra in horror. What sort of sound was coming from it? It was as is a thousand birds had descended upon the boat and were ready to feed. And the boy was moving now. He was moving with that indescribable power.

Sasuke grew closer to them; this was it, everything he had been working for was coming to life in front of him. He actually laughed right before he exerted the final command.

"CHIDORI!"

He punched both assassins, and there was an explosion of white and blue. They screamed as what felt like a mountain had hit them going two hundred miles an hour. One assassin's body collapsed into itself; the other's heart exploded. The chakra reflected electrically in their glassy eyes before they fell, falling on each other in a pathetic slump.

In that same moment, all light disappeared. There was a complete absence of chakra in Sasuke's body, and it felt like his arm had ripped off along with the explosion. He clutched it, gritting his teeth as he slumped to the ground, trying to catch his breath.

He heard footsteps crunching on the debris, and managed to gain enough energy to look up. Kiba was standing there, fur coat blood-soaked, with a look of pure idolization across his cut face. In Kiba's eyes, Sasuke could see him remembering that attack again and again.

"H-Holy _shit_, man," Kiba breathed, hand against his wound. "You were awesome."

Sasuke smiled, feeling very happy despite his pain. "I blow up two guys and half the boat and all you can say is awesome?"

Kiba chuckled weakly. "Egoist as always."

Kirigakure was now visible, and the deep night was fading into a gentle morning. A cluster of townspeople were waiting at the docks, along with an important-looking group of Kiri stealth shinobi.

They all yelled and gave cries of fear when they saw the condition of the boat; the captain had taken control again and stopped it safely, before passing out. The team rushed onto the boat, all manner of weapons drawn, and surrounded Sasuke and Kiba.

The people who were hiding in the cabins ascended the stairs carefully, the Suna family staying close while the others cautiously approached the broken deck. Michiru Kobashi appeared last, looking dismal but relieved.

"Put your weapons down," he ordered. "And please escort these brave shinobi to a hospital, I will pay."

"What on earth happened here, Michiru-sama?" one asked, not taking their eyes off Sasuke.

"More than enough to tell now. These boys saved my life; I want them to have a little more respect than bleeding to death on a boat." His tone was harsh but paternalistic.

Two shinobi, wearing a special pin with the medic-nin insignia on it, nodded and conjured up stretchers for everyone. Sasuke got into one without help; he noticed Hinata helping one get an unconscious Shino safely onto one. He smiled, glad that Shino had pulled through.

Kiba coughed as they started carrying him off the boat. "Aww jeez, I think I broke a rib," he complained.

Sasuke laughed, right next to him. "You could have broken you heart, Kiba. I think you should consider yourself lucky."

He stared up at the misty sky, taking in the salty air and feeling glad that the boat ride was over. He decided not to think about what would have happened if the Chidori had failed. Instead, he was glad it hadn't and took the time to enjoy the fresh air and the calm, early morning surroundings. There was something he wasn't looking forward to when he went home, though.

_Kakashi-sensei's gonna kill me._

**XxXxXx**

Oh em gee, it's me! I finally updated after who knows how long. I'm sorry I kept you guys waiting. Senior year is not easy, being that I've got two AP classes that take up a lot of time. Not to mention it's marching band season. In fact I've got to be at a practice in a half-hour! And then I need to write an essay for AP Literature. I should have been doing that now, but yeah, I decided on the more fun option!

I'm glad with the way this chapter ended. It was one of those action-heavy chapters where there's heartrending scenes of near-death and people coming back to save the day. It's all good fun.

See you next chapter! (I can't promise it'll be soon though.)


	15. Disappointment

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
Slight AU warning.  
Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!**

Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja trigger a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?

Note: _Italicized lines _often mean thoughts of a character or in some cases dreams. **Bolded lines **often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. _**Bolded italicized lines **_often mean flashbacks.

The Author Speaks: There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information will be limes/_possible _lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes.

Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except all the characters are two years older than before the time-skip in the series (13 is 15, 26 is 28, etc). Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire.

Definitions:  
none

Songs:  
"Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day  
"Dream on Dreamer" by Cascada

**Show Me a Hero**

_**Chapter 15 - Disappointment **_

The hospital bed was comfy, much more inviting than the hard wood floor of the ship. Sasuke didn't bother opening his eyes when people came into his room. He just wanted to sleep a little longer. Unfortunately, the nurse was calling his name so he had to let the light flood into his tired eyes.

The nurse was holding a tray with breakfast and medication. Toast, eggs, cereal, orange juice, and a mix of painkillers. Once his brain recollected the state his body was in, his arm began to burn as massive amounts of pain ripped through it.

"You're lucky that you can even move your arm after how much stress you put on it," the nurse stated as she set the tray down on his lap, smiling.

Sasuke shrugged. "It's not so bad," he remarked as he downed all of the painkillers in a single swallow.

"You're allowed to leave whenever you feel ready. Michiru-sama has allowed it. Just remember what we told you. Don't let your arm out of the cast. It needs considerable time to heal. The muscle degeneration we can't reverse, but it can get worse if you try a stunt like that again."

"Funny thing that the stunt saved an entire boat," he murmured, chewing on his toast. "Can I get some ketchup with this?"

The nurse complied and brought him a bottle, which he opened and poured the red sauce from and heaped it onto his eggs. The nurse looked at his plate in disgust and left the room. He buried the meal in his stomach and stuck the ketchup bottle into his empty kunai pouch. He shrugged off the hospital gown and realized his clothes were probably a bloody heap in an incinerator.

"Aw shit." He was provided with some hospital gift-shop clothing, which included a pair of grey sweatpants, an oversized t-shirt with 'Kirigakure' spelled in funky letters, and socks with black triangles all over them. After spending ten minutes battling with himself whether he should take the sling off to put on his clothes, he gave up and called the nurse.

After he was dressed, he examined himself in the mirror. He looked like an overexcited tourist, and as he put on his sandals he noticed that with the socks on he looked utterly ridiculous, so he chose to return them.

"Where're the others?" he asked the nurse.

She gazed down at her chart. "Rooms 256 and 259. Miss Hyuuga and Mister Inuzuka checked out already, they're eating down in the cafeteria. Mister Aburame is in 256 still." She smiled at him. "I hope he recovers well. Oh, and please return that ketchup bottle. I'd hate to have you arrested."

Sasuke stared at his kunai pouch. The bottle was protruding from it and leaking red goo. He sighed. "Just my luck."

After cleaning his pouch in the sink, he headed to Shino's room. It smelled sweet, but not the nice sweet, it was the hospital sweet. Almost like they painted the walls in cough medicine. Shino was sitting up, an IV attached to him. A newspaper concealed his face.

"Yo," Sasuke announced to let his presence be known.

Shino put down the paper, and Sasuke almost recoiled. He was wearing no sunglasses. The last time he was poisoned, but with his state normal Sasuke was impressed. Shino's face was pale and soft-looking, with almond-shaped brown eyes marred by red veins on the whites of his eyes. Under his bottom eyelashes were dark circles interlaced with red. Sasuke had never noticed how much of Shino's face was concealed by a little pair of sunglasses. Now that he saw the obvious signs of drug use, he understood why Shino wore them constantly.

"Nice outfit. Your arm's broken?" Shino asked after a long pause.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, well, I ripped up a bunch of muscles real bad using Chidori." Sasuke shrugged. "No big deal."

"Kiba told me about the fight. He was very impressed with your performance. He said he was really jealous, and he wants to be as good as you."

Sasuke flushed in embarrassment and pride. "Well, I'm grateful for his help! I would've had a much harder time fighting them if he hadn't been there. But I did get a sword plunged through him, how the hell is he out of bed already?"

"He showed me the scar. He thinks it 'adds to his sex appeal'."

Sasuke laughed. "Guy is barely out of bed and he's already horny. How's Hinata? I don't think she was hurt."

Shino glanced down at the newspaper, reading a column about Sunagakure and its anti-smoking law. "She is alright. A few of my bugs attacked her, but they only gave her minor bites."

The Uchiha recalled that horrific moment: him holding a frothing Shino as bugs ate away the flesh of the unsuspecting assassin. Skin and blood fell to the floor as his screams threatened to splinter wood.

Shino watched him and chuckled. "You know, I've never seen my bugs attack anyone before. I won't be able to now."

Sasuke frowned. "Why?"

Shino pointed to a bucket sitting on the side of the bed. Sasuke peered into it and frowned in disgust. It was full of dead, shriveled bugs, and exuded some unpleasant smell.

"These all came from you?" he asked unbelievingly.

"From the moment they brought me here. They monitored the life in my chakra stream, and concluded there was none left."

"How are you supposed to get back the bugs?" Shino asked. "Will your dad like let you borrow some…or something?" Borrow bugs. The kinds of conversations he got into were so ridiculous.

Shino's gaze fell to the window. "I don't know." He breathed in, and exhaled for a long time. "I'm going to tell him about my addiction. That I stole money from him so I could feed my addiction. I'm going to let him beat me until I cry. Then, perhaps then, my body will give my mind some rights and I'll be able to quit." His tone was bitterly serious. Sasuke rarely saw such genuine determination from a Konoha native.

"I believe in you. You can do it. Hell, if I can stop being an asshole then you can stop being a druggie. And I bet you can get stronger. Once you get through withdrawal and all that shit, you'll be strong enough so that if you ever see drugs again you'll blow them up with your freaking mind." He smiled. "Right?"

Shino looked up at him, at his support, and felt the friendship that he was offering. "…Thanks. Don't be afraid to tie me down if I'm having problems fighting my addiction."

There was a silence. But in that silence there was something happening. Shino's claim of having only acquaintances became obsolete as he looked at the Uchiha. Who he once saw as a brooding stranger had become someone who understood him. Sasuke Uchiha and Shino Aburame became friends that morning, and it was then Shino learned what a friend was.

"Are you going to be staying here?" Sasuke asked.

"I can't leave yet. They still need to clean my blood completely. I don't know when we're going to leave, so I'll come find you when we go."

"Sounds good. Well, I'm off to check out the wild and exciting streets of Kiri!" Sasuke said, mocking an overjoyed tourist.

Shino nodded, and grinned. "You play the part well."

Sasuke left the hospital immediately, as the cafeteria was actually in the basement of the place. He stepped into the mist-covered streets and looked around. The sun was blocked by tons of clouds that all promised rain. The aura of the place was grey, and when he saw a brightly-colored carriage pass by he was nearly blinded. The buildings were of smaller stature than the ones in Oto, and despite the shadows cast by the clouds the place felt content. He noticed everyone was wearing much warmer clothing than him, and he started to shiver.

It took him five minutes to get out his wallet and look at his money. Deciding he had enough, he stepped into a gift shop nearby, where a teenage girl wearing one of those popular fur vests smiled at him. "Hey there," she said in a flirty voice.

Sasuke nodded curtly and turned around to look for things to buy. _The word probably spread that the boat was attacked. I'll have to let them know I'm okay._ He picked out a postcard and scribbled on it with a nearby pen.

'Sakura, just to let you know I'm okay. Kirigakure is a nice place, cloudy but that won't get my spirits down. I haven't gone to the shinobi records library yet, but I hope they have what I need. Thanks, see you, Sasuke.'

He found a container of Kiri-style ramen and a pink charm bracelet and had the girl ring them up at the counter. She held the bracelet for a long time, as if she was hoping he'd change his mind and give it to her. He left and found the nearest pigeon box. He gave it to one and it took off just as there was a heavy clap of thunder.

"Lovely," he groaned, scratching his shoulder as he continued down the street.

**XxXxXx**

Naruto sped through a copy of _How to Contain Powerful Body Seals: Theorems and Studies _while writing bullshit on every couple of pages so he could prove that he didn't need to retake the damn seal class. Konohamaru was doing push-ups; despite his sickly appearance, the boy was capable.

"Naruto, are you watching me?" he complained, catching his breath while sitting down and watched a worm slither by with the speed of a snail.

"Sorry." Naruto looked up from his book. "It's just this stupid class. They sent me this yesterday, saying I failed to pick it up on the last day. I'm supposed to thoroughly read and annotate it. That way they are sure I'm 'prepared to handle this seal all by myself'. Like I HAVEN'T been for sixteen freaking years! One slip-up and they think I'm gonna explode."

Konohamaru nodded. "I think it's mean what they make you do. You're not a threat to anyone except the enemy!" he exclaimed with a wide smile.

Naruto patted him on the head. "You're a good kid. Looks like you've had enough time to rest, so start working on that Sexy Jutsu. You need to work on her curves and breast size."

"I know. One's always a volleyball and the other's a tennis ball."

"I think your problem is that you try to work too hard in making them equal, so you overdo it. Try not to think about it too much. Just focus on the size you like." Wow, if Iruka even heard the stuff he was saying he would expect a beating.

Konohamaru persevered, exhausting himself with the breasts. He managed to get the curves nicely, and even managed to produce a feminine face, but the breasts were always lopsided.

"You know," Naruto said after a half-hour of failure, "I think it's because you've never SEEN them."

Konohamaru stared at him and blushed. "W-Who says that? I look at porn all the time!"

Naruto laughed. "I don't care if you've seen it or not, you don't have to lie. Believe me, you haven't looked at porn. You live with an old guy and Iruka isn't the type to look at that stuff. I should give you some of mine."

"H-How can you talk about it like it's so normal?" Konohamaru sputtered. "I-Isn't that supposed to be a bad thing?"

"I guess, but the way I look at it is that I'm a guy, I need relief. It's better than going around and banging random chicks. People complain that guys look at porn too much, but if we didn't, then there would be tons more fatherless children and that stuff is just sad. I'd pick porn over breaking a girl's heart any day." Naruto stood up. "When you've got a guy like me, who has no parents, you don't want people to grow up alone. People need to have sex or something like it to be happy. What's so wrong with substituting a real girl for a picture of one? People fulfill their desires on each other and after it's over, they leave. That's not what I want to happen. If I'm gonna be with a girl, I want to love her."

"Wow, I guess I never thought of it that way," the boy said thoughtfully. "Do you love anyone, Naruto?"

"Not romantically. Sakura's my teammate and one of my best friends, and I've never really had interest in dating her cuz our friendship's just too good to risk. Then there's Hinata…she's so sweet and she looks up to me, so I feel really happy when she smiles because I want her to enjoy spending time with me." Naruto stopped and a dire look crossed his face, as if he had just determined something important that was quickly swallowed into his mind, and he was trying to remember what he learned. "…She's got Kiba, so…well, those are the main girls in my life." He laughed. "I don't have a lot of girl-friends."

Konohamaru, who had looked at him quizzically when he paused, shrugged. "Neither do I. The only friends I have are you and Moegi and Udon. But Moegi…well…" he smiled.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Do I sense a crush?"

"Well, um, you see," he suddenly became embarrassed. "I thought you had a girlfriend. I was gonna ask you advice. I wanna show her how I feel, but I'm scared I'll mess it up."

Naruto nearly giggled. Young love was absolutely adorable. He remembered his crush on the girl who worked at the farmer's market, and how he'd steal potatoes to get her attention; all it got him was a fine and her eternal hatred. "Between you and me, presents and company are the key to a girl's heart. You gotta give them something they'll care about and make sure you're around to listen to them. They need to know you care. Even if you do care, if they can't tell then it's as bad as you rejecting them."

"Aww, that made no sense whatsoever," Konohamaru shook his head. "I guess I'm never gonna get a date if you can't."

Naruto laughed. "It's not that I can't get a date, it's that I'm not looking as of now."

Konohamaru rolled his eyes. "Yeah, keep on defending yourself."

"Okay, an extra fifteen minutes of practice for you!"

They worked until Konohamaru's chakra wisped out on him. He had a problem with balancing it out. Naruto decided to check up on a book later in order to correct the problem; if Naruto couldn't teach the correct way to do it, then the kid would never learn what's wrong.

After another half hour, Naruto noticed two people walking up towards them. Konohamaru smiled and waved; it was Udon and Moegi. Udon looked his usual geek in an oversized sweater and pants that showed his socks. Moegi wore a long-sleeved dress and her hair was in its usual bouncy state.

"Hi!" Konohamaru said, rushing up to them. "Oh man, do you guys wanna see my transformation? It looks so cool!" he bragged.

"He can't even do it right," Naruto said, hitting him on the back of the head. "What are you guys doing here?"

"It was getting late, and we thought you'd be done already," Udon said. "We were gonna take him to play with us."

Naruto looked down at his pupil. "Do you wanna go? I think we've done enough today."

Konohamaru nodded. "Thanks a lot for today, Naruto-sensei. I'll see you next time," he said with a goofy grin.

He started to walk off with his friends, while Naruto remained behind, opening up his book and continuing to annotate every couple of sentences. He had to squint to see the pages. Maybe it'd be a better idea if he went back home and sat down with some ramen and milk to comfort him as he worked.

There was a scream in the background, and he looked up, startled. Konohamaru had fallen down. He was by the trio's side in moments.

Konohamaru was twitching, gasping for breath. He was even paler than usual, and his eyes were spinning in his head as he flopped on the ground like a dying fish.

Naruto froze. What was happening? How sick was Konohamaru? Had he pushed him too hard today? What was wrong? What was he supposed to do?

"I…I…I…" the stunned teen stammered as Moegi grabbed Konohamaru, silently tearing up, and flipped him over, pawing through his pockets and pulling out a bouncy ball, a couple of ryo, yelling in frustration with each useless item she found.

Udon grabbed Konohamaru's legs and held him down, whispering that it was going to be okay as Moegi came up successful with a bottle of pills. She popped it open and managed to wrestle Konohamaru's twitching mouth open and shove a few pills in between his white lips. Udon ran to the nearest water source he could find and raced back with a handful of water, sprinkling it into the boy's mouth.

Konohamaru slowly stopped moving, his body coming to a rest, his chest heaving. He closed his eyes and started to cry. Moegi held him, rocking him back and forth as if he was a baby.

Naruto just uselessly stood there, having no idea what he had just witnessed. Those two little kids had done more for the boy than he even tried to do.

"We gotta get him to Tsunade," Moegi said. "She'll be able to help him. He can't be this far away from people if he's getting attacks again."

Naruto broke out of his terrified daze and nodded. "Yeah, o-okay." What attacks? Was Konohamaru…was Konohamaru dying?

**XxXxXx**

Sasuke was astounded at the beauty of the records library. The building was topaz-colored, with columns that surrounded the steps leading up to it. The library could have easily fit in with Oto's majesty. Security guards stood in front of the columns and the doors, eyes trained to spot any shiny object and see it was a headband. Sasuke headed for the entrance, getting goose bumps as he felt a dozen eyes fixated on him. Good thing his headband was in a noticeable location.

He walked inside, feeling ratty around the nicely-dressed workers and shinobi that filled the halls. There was an oval help desk in front of him, so he approached it with his hands stuffed in his pockets, humbled by the huge walls of books that boxed him in.

The bespectacled lady at the desk smiled at him, her eyes gazing at his headband before she said anything. "Can I help you, Mr. Konoha?" she asked. "Well, what I should be saying is that I hope I can help you. I don't think I've helped a Konoha before."

There was a touch of playfulness in her voice, so he dropped his defense. He sort of enjoyed her nickname; it was like a special identity, like he was part of some exclusive club. "Yeah, I've never been in here so I hope you can help me too. I was just uh, looking for records on the Uchiha clan."

She opened her mouth instinctively, ready to give an answer, but huffed and closed it. She looked him up and down and a sad smile crossed her face. "I know you are a shinobi, and therefore you are allowed in this library, but there are still classified sections. The clans that want their records stored sometimes bring their documents here; sometimes they prefer to keep them close by. Nonetheless, it is restricted information unless permission is given by the clan, so I'm afraid you cannot see their records."

Of course things wouldn't go smoothly. They never did. "I am an Uchiha. My name is Sasuke Uchiha. If you have ever handled the records then my name should be in them."

"Do you have any proof that you are an Uchiha?" she asked.

There it was. The wall that prevented him from gaining anything he had the right to had been erected once again. In order to get the proof that he was an Uchiha, he needed to have it first. What a paradox. "No. I can't use my Sharingan because it was sealed. Look at my eyes, he said, shutting him and pointing to the black slashes on his lids. "I need my clan's files so I can look for a way to undo the seal."

He could tell that he'd put the librarian in an uncomfortable spot. "The Uchiha clan was destroyed years ago. You can't tell me that you're the sole surviving member…"

"But I am!" he exclaimed, getting frustrated. "I was there when my brother Itachi murdered everyone. I was there when my great-grandfather sealed me in his dying breath. I need to get my Sharingan back. It's my birthright. I want to restore my clan, I want to help my village, why are you being so difficult?"

"I can't help you. Not without proof or permission from a Kage or your village leader…"

Sasuke growled and turned around. That's when he saw it.

People from different villages were coming together, chatting to be friendly and smiling and laughing. Some looked to be close friends. Everyone was together, no matter what village they were from.

Konoha really was isolated. No one knew other people except for the ones within its miserable walls. Was that why Konoha never went anywhere? Because there were no connections to the outside world? Why had he been given the chance to break from the monotony, been given the chance to help Konoha, and something like his goddamn identity became so important? What use was it knowing the Otokage if he wasn't here?

He retreated into an aisle and stared at the books. They were on taijutsu. This whole wall was on taijutsu. He probably would have thought it was impressive if he didn't feel suicidal. Noticing that it wasn't against the rules, he jumped to the top of the bookcase and saw the door that led to the clans records. If only he could get in there.

An idea came to his head, and he laughed. _If Sakura was here now, she'd be kicking my ass for doing this._

He jumped from bookcase to bookcase, performing hand signs with his one good hand as he jumped. Of course, he was at a noticeable height and in a library for ninja. About half of the library had noticed what he was about to do before he even finished his jutsu.

"Get that kid!"

"Apprehend him!"

"A missing-nin! Kill him!"

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" he yelled, a burst of flame exploding from one hand as he set the nearest library shelf on fire. He hit the double doors and kicked away a Suna native as he did what could have been called a ballet performance in midair dodging all of the attacks directed his way.

He rushed through the aisles, seeing names that were set in history, seeing Aburames and Hyuugas. Finally, he reached the U's with a small army of ninja trailing him and he stopped when he saw the Uchiha storage. Quickly he opened it, ready to stuff as much paper as he could into his shirt.

But it was empty.

He was on the ground now, taken down by three ninja. He didn't particularly care or notice, because he was stunned at what he had seen. The file was _empty? _Who had taken it? Had it been lost with the Uchiha massacre?

Sasuke was hauled into the back room and punched in the stomach in order to sit him on a chair. The security guards surrounded him as he stared at the floor, virulent.

"He's got a broken arm? Why's a kid from Konoha breaking in here?"

"Do you know what we're gonna do to you, you punk? You set the historical section on fire!"

"You will do nothing to him," a familiar voice said behind the group of guards.

Sasuke looked up into the face of Michiru Kobashi with surprise. The guards looked confused as well.

"But my Lord, he desecrated a part of this library. We can't just let him go…"

Kobashi smiled. "Yes you can. Because he is the youth that saved my life on that boat. I will not allow harsh treatment to be executed upon a hero of mine. Now, please go so I can speak to him."

The guards looked at each other and left, looking angry, and Sasuke stared at Kobashi. Had he been referred to as a hero?

"I went to see you and your friends in the hospital. Mr. Aburame said you had gone to roam the streets of Kiri. I happened upon mayhem at the library and sure enough, here you are. Now why are you destroying Kiri property?" he asked.

Sasuke looked up at him. Michiru Kobashi was a famous man in Kiri, he had prestige and people would step aside for him. He didn't need to worry about something foolish like proof of his status. "You have it easy, you know. I was just trying to see something that I shouldn't be turned away from."

"Uchiha?" he asked, as if to confirm his last name. "You can't get access to your family's records, can you?"

"There isn't anything in the file," he said. "Maybe they never got here? I don't know. I just..." he couldn't finish the sentence. His arm was starting to hurt in its sling.

Kobashi shook his head. "If there is a file with 'Uchiha' on it, then there were most definitely files stored here. Allow me to go and look through the check-out files for you. Stay here, and try not to burn anything else," he said with a smile as he left.

Sasuke remained in the chair, leaning back and thinking about what he had noticed earlier. All of that stuff about knowing people. Here he was being kept out of prison because he saved the life of a powerful man. But why was it that the world had to be that way? It had become so natural to respect certain people more than others that people didn't think twice about it anymore. Kobashi was a necessary man, yes, but it was Sasuke that risked his life to help others.

_Unless you're risking your life to protect something that isn't seen as anything worth protecting, _Sasuke thought as Konoha came to mind.

Kobashi came back nearly ten minutes later, looking grim. He was holding nothing. "…Sasuke," he said with complete seriousness. "The file was checked-out. However, there is no record of who checked it out, but there is the date that it was taken."

Sasuke became lightheaded and closed his eyes, almost forgetting how to breathe. "What do you mean, there's no name?" he whispered in a deadly voice.

"There is no name. That means someone bigger than myself took it out. Someone who didn't need a signature. It was eight years ago, so it wasn't recent. Maybe a member of your family took it out. You don't need to sign if it's your own file; after all, if your own family creates it they don't exactly need permission."

That meant it was destroyed during Itachi's massacre. All of that information gone, destroyed by the event that spurred Sasuke to seek the information out to begin with. He gritted his teeth, extremely bitter. "…I'm going. There's nothing here for me then."

"I will write you if I find anything on your behalf. I want to see your mission complete," Kobashi said warmly. "After all, you are a friend to me. Someone who saves my life, even when they didn't need to, deserves respect and admiration. If only your hometown was full of more people like you, then you would receive what you deserve."

"I'd prefer luck being on my side than people liking me."

**XxXxXx**

Naruto sat in his apartment in front of television, but it wasn't on. He had no mind to watch anything. A cup of ramen sat unopened on the folding table in front of him, and his carton of milk was only half-drunk. What he really wanted to do was go and see Konohamaru, but Tsunade had forbidden it.

"**Get out of here," she commanded, sounding irritated and frantic. "I need to help him now. I don't need you distracting me."**

The malice he felt could only have been directed at him, not the situation. After all it was his fault Konohamaru had an attack.

How could he have been so blind? Konohamaru was unnaturally pale and very thin, his chakra seemed wispy sometimes, his hair was wiry and his eyelids sagged. He had no little hairs on his arms and when he blushed, there was no such thing as rosy red on his cheeks, only a gaunt fish color. He coughed a lot and needed to take frequent breaks. It was obvious there was something wrong with him.

And Naruto continued training him. In fact, he'd tease the boy on all of his strange physical characteristics. Now if he even tried to speak those words a bad taste would line his tongue.

But Konohamaru was always so happy to train. He didn't like all of the breaks he took and he was enthusiastic about even the reading portions. Moegi and Udon often commented on how he would babble on and on about what 'Naruto-sensei' had taught him. Maybe his training was actually _helping _Konohamaru; after all, this was the first attack in a while according to Moegi. The reason why Konohamaru was sick was because he hadn't been allowed to grow outside; he was an indoor plant whose body wasn't used to being rooted outdoors. That must be it.

There was a knock on his door. Naruto sprang from his seat, hoping it was Tsunade with good news, or even Konohamaru coming to say he's perfectly fine. He almost tripped over his entrance rug running for the door. He swung it open.

It was Iruka, unsmiling. Iruka was the type of guy who always smiled, so this unusual sight made Naruto's stomach flop over.

"Iruka-sensei, hello," he said trying to smile though finding it hard. "Uh, what are you doing here?"

"I'm back from the hospital," Iruka said in a quiet voice. "Konohamaru is stable. The attack weakened him but he will recover from it and should be home in a few days."

Relief flooded him. "Oh thank heavens," Naruto said, breathing out. "I thought the worst."

Iruka stared at Naruto with a blank expression, as if he was detached from the planet. Naruto tapped him. "Iruka, what's wrong?"

His touch must have pushed some sort of button, because Iruka jerked a little and slapped him straight across the face. Naruto fell backward, completely unprepared, and tears grew from the corners of his lids. He looked up at Iruka with surprise and fear. "W-What?"

Iruka entered his apartment and slammed the door. "Are you serious, Naruto?" he accused, seething. "Moegi and Udon told me you were training Konohamaru. You took him, in his state, into the outdoors and trained him? What were you thinking, hmm?"

As Naruto had grown up without a real father, he was never subject to disappointment and punishments like other people. However, as Iruka towered over him he felt his muscles fail him. He was afraid to get up and face him, his mind went blank.

"I-I, I uh, w-well he asked a-and I felt bad that h-he wasn't going to the a-a-academy so I—"

"So you didn't ask why he couldn't go to the academy? Or why we were keeping him indoors? It's not fucking _allergies_ here, Naruto! It's cancer!"

And he swore. Naruto began to cry, feeling ready to throw up.

Cancer.

Everything became clear to him. It was the missing puzzle piece that he didn't want to find.

Konohamaru had cancer. And Naruto had made him train. His body was screaming at him as he grasped the semantics of 'cancer'. Something that was destroying a perfectly wonderful little boy's chance to live. Konohamaru always expressed his sorrow over Naruto's dilemma, and he had a demon worse than the kyuubi inside of him. Naruto was the lucky one.

During Naruto's stunned silence, Iruka took time to let his anger out as well. He realized Naruto's naivety was bigger than even he imagined. The boy honestly had had no clue.

"I…I didn't kill him, did I?"

The whispered words stung Iruka's eyes and tears formed. The regret, the turn-back-time honesty in his voice was too much.

"No. No." Iruka took Naruto in his arms and hugged him tightly. "Something else did."

**XxXxXx**

Neji bent over the stove and stirred the cream soup, irritated that it hadn't boiled already. Something was wrong with the oven and the lighters weren't burning correctly, so he had slaved over dinner for ten minutes more than he cared to. Conceding defeat, he turned off the oven and picked up the pot, putting it in the microwave. He hated the microwave. It was the lazy man's road to food. Everything in a TV dinner was either the garbage of the crop or half-baked with plastic. Hoping that the waves wouldn't burn away the soup's flavor, he started chopping up crisped onions.

Hinata was never a bother, but with her absence he felt a sense of relief. The thought of catering to her was another annoyance in his day, and now that she was gone he could feel like he was being a good older cousin, as opposed to providing for a useless lump of flesh.

Hanabi was sprawled on the floor, doing her homework. Her thin white dress bunched up at her thighs as she swung her legs back and forth. Neji passed her by as he hauled garbage bags to the cans on the other side of the house, and glanced down to check her homework progress. She was a bright girl, but she worked slowly, and by the time the microwave beeped she only had a tiny portion of it completed.

Neji hated talking while he was eating. He hated it more when Hinata talked. However, Hanabi's girlish chirping filled him with joy. Listening to her day, and how school went and what she saw on her way home and how her friends were doing was one of those things he looked forward to.

"…And then Kimi had to go home so we stopped jump roping after that," Hanabi concluded, spooning soup into her mouth.

"What did I say about being out at the park after the streetlights turn on anyway? I don't want you to get attacked by thugs or worse," Neji advised.

"I know, I know," Hanabi said with her childish eye-rolling voice. A trickle of soup dribbled over her lip and down her chin, leaving a creamy white stain on her face. Neji's mind wandered when he noticed it and he reddened, staring down at his own soup, counting the onion slices floating in it to distract himself.

"Oh! Kimi made me a charm, wanna see?" Hanabi asked, not feeling her dirty face. She stood up.

"Maybe later," Neji said. "Just finish your dinner."

She lifted up a foot. On the ankle was a multi-colored bracelet that came from one of those do-it-yourself kits. It definitely looked like the work of a nine year-old. "Isn't it cute? I love it," she said with a giggle, hopping around to maintain her balance.

"You're gonna fall over," Neji warned, growing worried. "Stop."

As if his words were the queue, she did exactly as he feared. She wobbled too forward and lost her balancing, hitting the table. The soup bowl flipped into the air and splattered all over her. Neji managed to get his out of the way on time, but Hanabi's dress didn't make the escape.

He put the bowl down hastily and rushed over to her. "You're not burned are you? Oh hell," he groaned.

She was giggling. "S-Sorry about that Neji," she said. "I'll help clean it up. Eww, it's so squishy!" she said. "Just gimme a sec." She grabbed her sleeves and in one swift motion, pulled her dress off.

Neji didn't have time to stop her. There she was, standing in front of him, naked, with little rivulets of cream soup running down her flesh. He stared, and thoughts rushed into his head, ones that made him lean against the kitchen counter and sigh, trying to escape what he was thinking about. "Why aren't you wearing underwear…" he said in a quiet voice.

"Oh, cuz it's kinda comfy," she said, using her dress to mop up the stains like it was a rag. "Sometimes when Hinata's changing into her clothes she doesn't wear underwear either and I thought that maybe I should see what it's like. It's not like I wet myself anymore so why do I need underwear?"

Neji sunk to a sitting position, hands on his crotch, hiding an erection. Thinking about Hinata without underwear made him think of other girls without underwear, ones walking down the street wearing little skirts that barely covered their naked asses. He found one, grabbed her, pulled her into an alley and fucked her up against the wall, hard and desperately right there, no condom or anything. God, he needed a release right now.

He opened his eyes. "Hanabi, you can't not wear underwear when you're wearing a dress. It's not classy. Hinata does it because she's a stupid whore, you can't be one of those. You hear me, Hanabi? You're not gonna get fucked against a wall like Hinata, like all those stupid sluts…" All those stupid sluts he needed. Why was he saying this? Why were his thoughts spilling from his tongue?

Hanabi stared at him, suddenly scared. "Cousin, you're swearing…I don't like it when you swear. What do you mean? Hinata's not a…a…_whore_," she bit her lip as she said it, "right cousin?"

"Just go take a bath, please. Just go. I need to clean this. Please leave me alone, Hanabi. Go away. Finish your homework, take a bath, do _something _other than be here."

"But…"

"GO!" he yelled. Not being the kind of person to do that to her, Hanabi got the picture and ran, scared, clutching her soaked dress. She left him alone like he asked.

Neji stared up at the ceiling, cursing himself. His eyes wandered down to the stains on the carpet and stared at it for a long time before silently dragging himself deeper into the kitchen. He leaned against the oven and unzipped his pants, starting to cry.

**XxXxXx**

Been a long time, huh? Yes, senior year isn't as hard as junior year for me, but I'm still loaded with homework and responsibility! Coffee shop managing, AP Literature, AP Psychology, Recent Fiction, band…it's a tough life! Can't wait to graduate though. Whew!

A lot of negativity in this chapter. I mean, Konohamaru isn't in a good position. Neither is Naruto. Or Sasuke. Or ANYONE for that matter. Will it get better? Well maybe in my next update! Hope that doesn't take another six months!


	16. The Confusion of Living

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
Slight AU warning.  
Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!**

Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja trigger a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?

Note: _Italicized lines _often mean thoughts of a character or in some cases dreams. **Bolded lines **often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. _**Bolded italicized lines **_often mean flashbacks.

The Author Speaks: *Update* Currently, this fanfiction contains the HINATA/KIBA COUPLING. If I get one more complaint about it not being Naruto/Hinata, I will start reporting those reviews. *End Update* There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information will be limes/_possible _lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes.

Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except all the characters are two years older than before the time-skip in the series (13 is 15, 26 is 28, etc). Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire.

Definitions:  
catharsis – emotional release, like beating up a stuffed animal after a bad day

Songs:  
"Can You Keep a Secret?" by _Utada Hikaru_  
"It's My Life" from _Card Captor Sakura _  
"Listen to Your Heart" by D.H.T. (for Konohamaru)

**Show Me a Hero**

_**Chapter 16 - The Confusion of Living**_

It was early in the morning when the boat pulled into the dock. The sky was a creamy orange, just like when the other boat had departed from that same dock. Sasuke and Shino had spent most of the trip talking about varying things in their lives, or their opinions about different world topics. Kiba and Hinata were fairly quiet, probably because Kiba was on a crutch and therefore couldn't act his usual self. Sasuke stayed up an extra hour for lookout, but Shino convinced him there weren't going to be any freak attacks on that cruise, so he fell asleep after a hearty midnight snack of tomato-cheese-cracker-sandwiches.

He woke to the sound of the boat's whistle and threw on his tacky tourist garments with difficult, put his arm in the sling, and left the boat with Shino, Kiba and Hinata trailing behind tiredly. Shibi, Hana, and Sakura were waiting for them. Shino was pleasantly surprised.

"That means the news of the accident got here already. Father wouldn't be here unless to see that I'm alive," Shino told Sasuke. "Do you think I should tell him on the way home or when we arrive home?"

"I think he can't be too harsh if you're still walking," Sasuke suggested.

Shino chuckled. "You obviously don't know my father."

He headed towards Shibi, who looked down at him with a serious face that had a touch of warmth at seeing his son alive. He put a callused hand on his shoulder and turned him around, and they started walking home. The buzz of conversation came from their direction moments later.

Kiba and Hinata walked to Hana. Kiba pointed at his crutch with a smirk. "Did the paper do me justice? I got a sword through me, aww man it was great!"

"You're such a dumbass," Hana said, rolling her eyes. "A sword through you isn't something to be freaking about. Boys are such morons," she said to Hinata. "At least you're not dead."

Sasuke approached Sakura slowly. He was actually a little confused to see her. She wasn't an early riser, but there she was, dressed in black jeans and a red t-shirt. The pink bracelet dangled from her wrist. Warmth filled Sasuke when he noticed that.

"So," he said casually, "I see you got my present."

Her green orbs examined him. They stopped on his sling, and she closed her eyes. "Yeah," she said quietly, trying to hold back tears, "I did. I got your postcard too."

She stepped closer, afraid to get too close. He shook his head. "It's not like I was bombarded by hazardous chemicals or something," he joked. "You can hug me."

As if those words were the magic words, she threw her arms around him, squeezing him tightly. "I'm glad you're back," she said. "Even though I got that postcard, I was still scared that something went wrong and you…no…I don't want to think about it."

"Then don't think about it, come on," he said gently, pushing her away, "it's like seven, let's get breakfast. I can tell you all about what happened."

They walked to a breakfast sit-down place about ten minutes from the port. There weren't many people actually going there to sit down. People were lined up with mugs to get cheap coffee before work. A shinobi from Team 9 was working as a host, though the line wasn't interested in the breakfast specials he had to offer. He smiled at Sakura and Sasuke when they walked up to him, and grabbed a couple of menus.

"It's like that every morning," he said. "There's no point in me even coming in until like, eleven. That's when people actually want to eat something."

He led them to a booth and handed them menus. "Alright, our special today is the blueberry waffles," he said. "You get bacon and toast with it, but it's really only a ryo cheaper than the normal price," he whispered, smirking.

They laughed and opened their menus. Sasuke had no problem choosing. "Tomato omelet," he stated, "with tomato juice and toast."

"Do you want tomatoes on that toast?" the host joked, but when he noticed the gleam in Sasuke's eyes he recanted that statement, quickly turning to Sakura.

"Um….chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and hot tea," Sakura chose.

The hot took their menus and left, whistling and rolling a ring all around the curves of his fingers. They both watched the ring with the interest of seeing some sort of magic show, mesmerized at this display of shinobi talent.

"Look at us," Sasuke said after the guy walked into the kitchen, "we're acting like we've never seen talent like that before."

"Well, we usually only see it among you, me and Naruto." Sakura played around with the saltshaker. "I guess we're just not used to seeing other people using ninjutsu or anything close."

Sasuke huffed. "That's pretty pathetic then. Freakin' Konoha…"

There was silence for a minute as they have their own private thoughts about what Sasuke said.

"So, Team 8 was with you? Were they any help in the fight? I can't imagine Hinata did anything."

"She really didn't. She was too scared to even move. Shino—" Sasuke paused. He was almost about to reveal what actually happened to Shino, but he didn't want to be a gossipmonger. "Shino was incapacitated by the sudden attack, so I had Hinata take care of him. Kiba though," he paused to give Sakura a moment to collect his words into her head, "Kiba was great. That guy really knew how to fight. A sword went through him, and he's still walking. Anybody else, they would've been dead right then and there."

"Kiba trains a lot. He really likes getting out of the house," Sakura mentioned. "His mom beats him so he's thankful for the training grounds."

Sasuke stopped looking through the syrups and stared at her, not expecting to hear that. "He's being abused?"

"Yeah. His mom used to be okay but after his dad died, she became really bitter."

"Huh." Sasuke slumped in his seat, intrigued by the news. "That's really weird." He leaned towards her. "Tsume Inuzuka was the one who found me when Itachi massacred everyone."

He paused to let the shinobi serve their food before he continued, not wanting an eavesdropper to overhear him. He cut into his mushy omelet, red tomato paste spilling out. "I remember it. She recovered me from the bodies. I had fainted after seeing Itachi kill himself, and I woke up in her arms. I even lived with her for a month. Kiba wasn't around much, but Hana would make me really good sandwiches. They have a crowded home though; five dogs and three people are a tight squeeze."

"Really?" Sakura faintly recalled the news from years ago, when the 'Uchiha survivor' was being taken care of by a 'high-ranking ninja' for the time being. "Never would have guessed it."

"She really is like how she was at Oto," Sasuke attested. "Impatient, but gruffly mother-like. Unless that's only with other people's kids…"

Sakura shrugged, eating her pancakes. "Maybe Kiba initiates it, I dunno."

Sasuke didn't want to think about it. That might have been why Kiba seemed so rough with Hinata, which made him wonder how he treated the timid girl. He downed his tomato juice, leaving a red mustache on his upper lip that made Sakura smile and clean it up for him. It was quiet for a few more minutes while they chewed, until Sasuke finally finished his juice.

"How're classes going?" he asked.

She piqued. "Really well! We took finals for the first course three days ago. I got a ninety-four."

"That's great!" Sasuke was extremely happy that she was succeeding. Anything from Konoha that had even a hint of hope gave him confidence in the village. "Do you think training with Tsunade helped you out?"

"Well, this was the basic medicine course, so not really. She's teaching me how to use medical jutsu, which is the next course. The best thing is that almost everyone passed and can move on. Only three courses to go!" she said, squealing. "By the fall we'll be taking our _final _final exam."

"Really." Sasuke's mind reeled. It seemed that there was a class of people that could carry Konoha along. Before he had met Naruto and Sakura, he never thought he'd find even one person who had any worth in the destitute village.

"Yeah," Sakura stopped to eat a piece of bacon, and the resumed. "The next course is basic medical jutsu with field application, and then it's medicinal components, and finally it's advanced field application and fatality prevention."

"Does it really only take a year to learn all that stuff?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask. It seemed to be too much to fit into such a short period of learning.

"Honestly, it does go by pretty fast. We're definitely not in medical school and spending years on the stuff," Sakura admitted, sipping her tea. "But the program comes from Oto, and if you pass the courses you are given a certified temporary medical ninja license. In order to keep it, you have to continue learning and take tests every few months for a period of three years. The difference is that you don't have to take a class, but the test graders aren't as lenient. If you get anything under an eighty percent, your license is revoked and you have to take make-up classes before you can even touch that test again."

"Seems like you have it all down, though," Sasuke said. For some reason he was feeling a paternal pride, as if he had raised Sakura to be so committed and intelligent. He blushed after he realized his egotism. After all, he had only taught her jutsu basics.

"What's wrong?" She had noticed his blush.

He ate some omelet to make the silence less awkward. He didn't appreciate that they used tomato paste instead of the real fruit, but he understood why. "I was just getting hot," he lied. "Your tea's steam is blowing in my face."

"Oh!" She looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry," and she moved the tea away from him.

"You know, it really hasn't been Team 7 for a while now." Sasuke felt longing for his team. "It's always two of us, or one maybe with another person, but it's not Team 7."

"We're Chuunin now," Sakura stated blandly, though she felt a similar hole where the days of picnics and training used to fill. "We're not bound by our teams anymore."

Sasuke frowned. "Well, it sucks!" He couldn't think of any better word to say. "We were barely Genin. I don't like not seeing Naruto and you all the time."

"We were talented enough to pass the exams. Certainly that's not something to damn, now is it?" Sakura smiled, enjoying Sasuke's irritation. It was a clear indication of his feelings for her and the rest of the team.

"Yeah I guess, if you look at it that way. But it's like we're not given enough time to build up anything. Everyone's moving apart. You have your medical classes and Naruto's been training that kid Konohamaru. I've only been able to see Kakashi-sensei."

Her smile faded at the mention of Konohamaru. "Actually, about that, um…" she took a breath and finished her bacon. "Naruto isn't going to be training him anymore. Konohamaru had a bodily attack when he was training, and that's when it was revealed that the kid's got cancer."

Sasuke's heart sank. That word was on par with murder in his mind. Such a deadly illness, and there was no cure. There was no way to prolong life. It beat one's internal clock against a brick wall until it was so smashed the battery was short and emitted sparks whenever it needed to work. "Cancer?"

"Yeah. I didn't train yesterday because Tsunade was busy working on him. Naruto was really depressed. I went to his house and I clearly saw him in the kitchen, but he didn't answer after I rang eight times, so I thought it would be best to leave him alone. I can't believe it. That little boy has cancer. It's so terrible isn't it?"

"It really is." Every village in the world had unlucky people, but to live in Konoha itself was unlucky. Sarutobi's grandson couldn't enjoy beauty in his numbered days. He couldn't take trips and fulfill a lifetime's worth of dreams in short time. Other villages did that sort of thing. It was Kabuto's innovation, and it spread quickly in the past few years. Still, he was a little bummed that Sakura brought up such a depressing topic, because what he really wanted to do was connect with her, and mentioning that sort of thing equaled awkward-silence city.

Sakura seemed to move on from the subject quickly however. "We should get going," she said, opening her clutch wallet and proceeded to count a tip.

"Alright, let me go up and pay." He stood up and just then, he noticed something in Sakura's face. It was there for only a second, but the sight of it made him smile and realize just how intelligent and wonderful she was. Her lips were curled down in a contemplative frown, and her eyes darted from the money to the ceiling as she calculated the tip quietly. That display of ability relaxed him, though he wasn't sure why. He thought that she was going to succeed in the world someday. That's what he wished on her.

Sakura looked up at him, her bright eyes softly staring into his. "What? So I talk to myself sometimes, you've heard me." She laughed.

Sasuke smiled and turned. "I know. I pretend you're sane though." He headed to the counter, money in hand, absolutely jovial. Mornings should always be spent with his friends, he decided.

**XxXxXx**

The marketplace that morning was unusually active. It turned out that a generous client had been remarkably pleased with the ability of Konoha's ninja, so he made a donation. Tsunade helped Sarutobi come to the decision to spread the money to different outlets that would lessen the strain on major power lines, so everyone was anticipating lower electric bills. It was enough to get people out and buying, which pleased the cart owners and store clerks.

Temari didn't notice that difference, however. She was used to Suna's dusty streets always being filled. Though Suna was a successful village, it was overcrowded and the dust constantly kicked up in the narrow streets caused a lot of residents to suffer from breathing problems. She was lucky enough to not have that worry, for as the daughter of a Kage advisor she could jump across roofs without penalty. She was pretty certain she'd be able to do the same thing in Konoha, for lack of any force upholding the law. However, she was sightseeing and preferred to observe those around her, like she was told.

Kankuro yawned. His hood was down and his face was naked, something that was different for him. His face was tough and dark, and his hair was sandy brown and seemingly untamable, for it stuck in all directions and refused to lie down. Temari often teased that it was because his hair was permanently used to sticking to his hood, so when it was off the strands branched off to locate the missing clothing.

He passed by a stand where a particularly attractive young lady was selling writing materials and smirked at her. Gaara stood next to him, head down, emotionless green eyes staring at the individual dirt clods on the ground. He didn't like being in crowds unless he was literally touching someone familiar to him and his arm was intertwined with Kankuro because of this. The redhead looked up slowly to see what his brother was looking at, and the girl's body struck him with interest. Like a dog, he stepped forward and his nose twitched as his head tilted from side to side, observing her as some sort of powerful phenomenon he couldn't take his eyes off of.

Temari shot Kankuro a warning glance, and the middle child pulled him away from the girl. Gaara refused to budge at first, but after a few yanks he started walking away, and his gaze returned once again to the ground.

"I seriously don't get it," Kankuro said, and Temari braced herself for one of his usual complaints. "If we're supposed to be watching people and asking about the state of Konoha, why did we have to bring Gaara along? He's going to get hungry soon."

"We're not going to leave him there at the hotel, alone," Temari snapped. "That's irresponsible. And if Baki decides to go and find that we're not there and Gaara is even the slightest bit hungry, well it's gonna be tough explaining why there's blood all over the shower curtain."

"Gaara shouldn't even be here. This is re—"

Temari pulled him into a nearby alley. Konoha had a lot of those. They tended to be colorful with graffiti and stinking of garbage that was missed by the trucks. "Look," she said firmly but in a whisper, "Gaara needs to be here. You know why? Because the Kazekage said so. Father said he entrusted us to infiltrate this damn place and gather intelligence while we wait for orders to release Shukaku and take this place over."

"Why are we even waiting? What's the point of a surprise attack?" Kankuro asked. "I'm not trying to be a bleeding heart here, but a surprise attack will probably kill a hell of a lot more people than swift power retrieval. This place doesn't exactly scream 'killer defense system'."

"I don't know. And the more I'm here, the less I want to go through with this," the blonde admitted, "especially because it's our brother that'll be responsible for all this. And I want to help him. I think I've found the perfect subject, though."

"Now we're talking about helping him? Dad doesn't want him helped. God forbid he live a coherent life," Kankuro said bitterly.

"You know how I've been hanging around that kid who lives in the hotel lobby? He's practically a copy of Gaara. Completely detached from complicated emotion, thrives on basic instinct…the kid's face reminds me of Gaara's so much. That's why I was drawn to him. It was like I was staring at my younger brother, only this was a foreigner." Tsunade looked at Gaara sadly. "I've always wanted to help him. Maybe this'll be my chance."

Kankuro listened to her and shrugged. "If that's what you think," he said. "I just want to get this mission over with."

Temari darkened. "If it's a village takeover, it's not going to go by quickly."

They returned to the hotel after filling up on food and managing to keep Gaara still at a food stand where they bought him hot dogs until he was drowsy from all the food. Temari noticed Shikamaru lounging outside, smoking a cigarette. His eyes were closed as he took a drag and let out the smoke from his nose in little rings.

Gaara's head immediately lifted and his nose twitched. He smelled the smoke. He looked around wildly, afraid, and caught Shikamaru. The spiky-haired smoker was also looking at the ground, but he felt the heat of a stare on him and he looked up.

"Oh no," Kankuro said, sounding weak. "Gaara _hates_ smoke."

Temari understood his worry. For normal people, hated stimuli were frowned at, cussed at, or ignored, and they went on their way. But for Gaara, whose inhibitions didn't include such things, he responded how an unrestrained beast would.

He growled and lashed out at Shikamaru, being held back with incredible effort by Kankuro.

Shikamaru frowned. "What the fuck are you doing?" he asked in a very subdued but acidic voice.

"Sorry," Temari said, bowing. "My brother doesn't like smoke, and he's unfortunately a little outspoken about it. We'll be on our way." She glared at Kankuro who was doing his best to shove Gaara in the door. Once the accused arouser was out of his sense range, Gaara would go back to normal.

"Oh. Really." And as if he didn't care about Gaara's reaction, he took another drag. This time, he blew the smoke directly in Gaara's face.

The oldest sibling's mouth dropped open from his audacity. She was paralyzed by anger for enough time for Gaara to let out a piercing scream and throw Kankuro off him. She gathered herself and grabbed for her brother's arm but he blew past her and lunged at Shikamaru, bloodlust in his eyes.

Shikamaru stepped away from the kid, internally freaked out by his attack. Who the fuck did he think he was? Some foreigner doesn't like cigarettes and he decides to antagonize Shikamaru for it? Why did everyone feel the need to hate what he enjoyed? His mom always yelled at him to stop watching TV. His dad always pressed him to get with some girls. Chouji and Ino told him to care about people.

Ino. Like she had the goddamn right to tell him to care about anyone.

He grabbed the kid's hair and snapped his head back, proceeding to put out the cigarette in his left eye.

Gaara screamed horridly and sprang back, clutching his face. Kankuro's eyes widened and rushed to help his brother who started failing, ashen tears dripping from his face.

Temari spun to face Shikamaru. "You son of a bitch!" she roared, marching over to him. "How dare you, you fucking little brat, I'll kill you!"

"No, you won't," Shikamaru said, hands in his pockets like he was just a bystander. "You won't have my death on your conscience. Weak bitch."

Temari picked him up by the throat, prompting people near them run off in fear or watch with interest. She tightened her grip, expecting him to grow scared and beg for him to stop. "What did he ever do to you? You provoked him. Apologize!"

His reaction was frightening. He stared down at her, making no recognition that he was losing precious air. "Fuck. You." He grabbed her hand with his and applied great pressure, enough to make her wince. He pulled himself away from her and once again put his hands in his pockets, making to go inside.

Gaara shook wildly, with Kankuro holding onto him carefully and whispering words of comfort to try and calm him down. But the feral boy was enraged from the pain and kicked Kankuro away from him. He stumbled towards Shikamaru, one hand over his eye, and rushed at him, ready to punch him across the face.

Shikamaru puts his hands together. "Shadow Bind," he hissed.

Gaara froze and stared at Shikamaru, looking very confused, like an animal trapped in a cage. Shikamaru turned around and ran into the hotel. Gaara started running in the opposite direction, catching Temari and barreling her over before the shadow bind snapped after the hotel door closed.

Gaara was now very confused. He whimpered, rubbing his eye, while Temari held him, sitting up. "It's okay. We'll get you some help."

Kankuro made to go after him, but Temari objected. "Don't worry about him. It's not worth it."

"You shouldn't have restrained Gaara. I say let him maul the bastard."

"I'm not having my brother arrested for eating a human being alive," Temari snapped, picking Gaara up like she was carrying a baby. "He doesn't deserve that kind of ridicule."

Temari started walking into the hotel, making sure Gaara didn't see Shikamaru. The brat was lazing around on the couch, watching TV. As if he hadn't just hurt another person. She headed up to her room, thinking about his face when she had him in the stranglehold. It was a complete disregard for his life. He didn't have any fear.

She closed to the door to her room. _Is Shikamaru really like Gaara? Or is Gaara better?_

**XxXxXx**

Tsunade was having a bad two days. She had gotten no sleep. Yesterday, Konohamaru was rushed to the hospital after he had an attack caused by overworking. As she treated him, she found out that Naruto had been training him. The idiot. She felt a deep anger towards him while she attempted to stabilize the little boy's condition, but a part of her had a feeling that he really was completely unaware of the dangers in the world. He hadn't been raised properly. Though he had dreams and ideas, he didn't know about the things that killed them.

Luckily, she had managed to keep Konohamaru's brain conscience after hours of care. What she hated was telling Iruka that it was Naruto's fault Konohamaru had the attack. She felt like she was telling a parent that their child nearly killed someone. The look on his face was that of anger, misery, and betrayal. He left without a word, his characteristic smile gone. She wondered how Naruto must be feeling.

Now, she was sitting with Sarutobi, Koharu, Homura, Kakashi, Asuma, Anko, Ibiki, Kotetsu, Izumo, Raido, Aoba, and Genma.

Across the table was Kurenai, her legs crossed with a puppy-dog look on her made up face. Her long black hair fell to her breasts which were conveniently revealed for all the men to see. Tsunade was worried that they'd fall for it, but they all seemed pretty used to her tricks by now. Her ex Asuma stared at her intently with complete disgust written across his bearded face.

From the look on the council's faces, it wasn't going to be a fun meeting.

"Kurenai Yuhi," Sarutobi spoke loudly. "Do you know why you've been called here today?"

"I'm perfectly aware," she said, sitting straight up, trying to act professionally. "There's a perfectly legitimate reason to why I wasn't on that boat."

"Really? Please enlighten us."

"I get seasick. I would have been a detriment to the mission if I had gone on the boat. I wouldn't have been able to focus," she stated.

There were a few muffled chuckles from the council. Kakashi shook his head, looking severely disappointed. Anko rolled her eyes, and Asuma just gave her the evil eye.

"Really?" Sarutobi folded his liver-spotted hands, leaning forward. "If you were going to have such a problem, then why didn't you arrange for another teacher to take your place? It wouldn't be hard. Kakashi was available. Genma and Izumo have been waiting to go on a mission for a while. So we decide to give you the honor of going, and you abandon your team."

"I didn't abandon them," Kurenai said, trying to sound like everything she said was an obviously perfect explanation for her behavior. "I told them that I wasn't going on the mission. They could have easily told someone."

Asuma laughed, irritated. "Really? You think those kids are gonna know what to do? I mean yes, they should have communication skills but no, they don't, and you shouldn't be strutting around while those kids nearly died!"

"Don't yell at me," Kurenai said, sounding scandalized. She shook a little in fear. Kotetsu and Izumo exchanged glances.

"Did you hear me? I'm telling you, if it weren't for Sasuke Uchiha those three kids would have died. I'm sure it would be a great task, going to Tsume Inuzuka, Shibi Aburame, and Neji Hyuuga and telling them that Kiba, Shino, and Hinata died. Do you not get it?" Asuma slammed his fists down on the table and stood up. "And don't give me that simpering fucking face!" he bellowed when tears formed in her eyes. "I could care less if you cry about it, because I'd hope to damn well that you fucking THINK about what you did! You put three kids' lives in danger! Why the fuck are you even TEACHING?"

"Quiet!" Tsunade yelled, slamming her hand down on the table a few times to get him to sit down. "Your catharsis is unnecessary, Asuma. But you have brought up a good point. A woman who throws her students into a mission without guidance and protection cannot teach."

"There's only one thing she can do well," Aoba whispered into Genma's ear, prompting laughter.

"I wasn't asking for your comments," Asuma snapped at his colleagues.

Tsunade noticed there was still a spark of attraction Asuma had for Kurenai. She understood that even though someone could betray your total trust, that person still had an appeal.

"What are you saying?" Kurenai asked, almost hysterical. "I can teach! Just give me a chance!"

"What chance? Ever since graduation you were given chances, and you blew them. This time however, you've been caught," Sarutobi said matter-of-factly. "I want hands to see who thinks her teaching license should be suspended."

Everyone raised their hands, though Raido hesitated before making his decision. Sarutobi looked around and nodded to a stricken Kurenai. "As of now, your teaching license is suspended without pay, Yuhi-san. Your students will no longer be under your tutelage. Any mission that involves Team 8 will not include you."

Kurenai's lipstick-thickened mouth dropped open. Tears fell down her cheeks and she shook her head. "No, no! You can't do that! What am I supposed to do?"

"Why don't you leech off one of us like you used to," Genma muttered under his breath, "bloodsucker Yuhi."

"Look at it this way," Sarutobi said, shrugging, "You no longer will be burdened with boat rides."

Kurenai stormed out of the meeting five minutes later, angrily kicking objects with her heels and throwing a temper tantrum at the air. She had just lost her license. Now there was no way for her to make money, what was she supposed to do in such a crappy place anyway?! Asuma was gone and all of the councilmen hated her, obviously. She couldn't go sweet on Shino or Kiba because they were probably miffed at her.

Goddamn those little brats! If they had pretended she had gone on the trip this never would have happened! When she noticed where she was heading, she kept on the path, quietly saving her anger. She'd show them.

Kiba's house was closer to plant life than other houses because of the land used to train their dogs, so it had the benefit of being farther away from the cramped residential center. Kuromaru plodded slowly around the house, and Tsume was on the front porch tending to a plant hanging on a hook nailed to the curving edge of the roof.

Tsume noticed her coming and tensed, probably because of the anger she felt exuding from the former teacher.

"Hey! I have something to say about your damn son!" Kurenai yelled, stopping in front of their property.

"Why are you bothering me about him? What did he do this time?"

"He cost me my teacher's license! Your brat doesn't even go out to train anyway! All he does is go find Hinata and fuck her all day!" She didn't care what she said as long as it got Kiba in trouble.

Tsume frowned. "Your teacher's license? Why the hell are you bothering me with that? I know he doesn't fucking train with you and I know he goes and fucks Hinata. What do you want me to do about it? Kiba didn't do shit to get you fired. He almost fucking died on that boat because you weren't there. He comes home with a broken arm and a hole in his chest and you're saying you're the victim! Get away from this house or I'll rip a hole in you!"

Kurenai eyes widened and backed up. Tsume was always a temperamental woman, but she never spoke to adults like that. She turned away and walked off, holding her face in her hands. Her life was coming apart today.

Kiba had been behind the house practicing taijutsu, trying to emulate Sasuke's style. Hana was feeding the Haimaru triplets while watching him, critiquing him on some techniques that she didn't think he would be able to handle with his body type. Akamaru was sunbathing in the grass, sleepy.

When he heard Kurenai approach, he stopped training and listened to her screaming. He felt sort of guilty when he found out she had lost her license, but then again it was what she deserved. But what really got him was what his mom said.

She had expressed concern for his condition. She had _defended _him.

When he had gotten home earlier that morning, he accidentally woke her up coming in house bragging to his sister about the fight. He expected to be in the hospital again. However, she came down and actually acknowledged him, told him where breakfast could be found, and asked him if he was doing okay.

Something about him almost dying scared her. He didn't want to come to terms with it, but maybe the crazy bitch actually cared about him.

**XxXxXx**

Naruto trudged past the crowds that flooded the streets that afternoon. His hands in his pockets, his hood up, he didn't really feel like talking to anybody. He remembered Sasuke had come back in the morning. He was going to go see him with Sakura, but yesterday's events didn't give him any motivation.

He passed by the hospital. His heart sunk. Should he go in? Konohamaru probably hated him. Still, he thought it would be cruel to not say hello.

He walked into the hospital and went up to the front desk. It had been a while since he'd been there, and the place looked much better than last year. The place had been painted, stocked with supplies, and given adequate employees, though Tsunade was still the best doctor there.

"I'd like to see Konohamaru Sarutobi," Naruto spoke to the lady at the counter.

She consulted her massive manila folder. "Ah yes, he's in Room 8B, upstairs and past the water machine."

"Thanks." He climbed the stairs, his feet growing heavier with every step. He didn't want to face the boy. Cancer. What was he supposed to think after finding that out? How was he supposed to apologize for nearly killing him?

He opened the door to his room. No one was in the bed.

A thousand terrible thoughts flew through his mind. He had been too late, Konohamaru hadn't made it, he was—

"Excuse me?" Naruto twirled around, looking stricken, and the nurse who addressed him smiled. "The boy in that room, Sarutobi-san, is in the courtyard. You can find the door downstairs past the cafeteria."

"Thanks." After the nurse left, he stuck around by the door, letting out long breaths of relief.

_Stop thinking the worst. Just go see him._ Naruto headed downstairs and smiled at the secretary before heading towards the courtyard.

It wasn't really a courtyard; it was more like an extended backyard. The grass was brown and dry and there weren't many implements for children to play on except for a rusty slide and a seat shaped like a bird and was attached to a spring. There were a few picnic tables and a large tree that gave plenty of shade to the south corner of the yard. It wasn't much occupied except for two tired-looking shinobi wearing slings and a little girl who was playing on the bird seat. Konohamaru was nowhere to be found.

Naruto walked through the courtyard, feeling out of sync with the somber atmosphere. He was wearing his favorite color of bright orange and attracted the attention of everyone there, but he didn't stop to look at them or acknowledge them even. He was there for a more important reason.

Konohamaru was actually right by the courtyard fence hidden by a brick wall. He didn't look so terrible; Naruto had been imagining a white bean stalk with legs. Instead, Konohamaru didn't look any different except for lack of a headband. He cherished the headband his grandfather had given him. Without it, Naruto noticed a receding hairline. Though he wasn't quite sure why he was losing hair, Naruto didn't want to point it out.

"Hey." Naruto's voice barely rose above a whisper. Now that the boy was in his earshot, he was afraid to speak to him.

Konohamaru's head turned. His face was sagging a little, his eyes like dead brown orbs. Still, he seemed so bright when he saw Naruto. He smiled and waved. "Hey! You came to visit me, how nice."

"Oh. Y-Yes." That was unexpected. Naruto was sure he'd have some contempt, at least a hint of irritation with his teacher. Did the kid not remember he nearly died?

"So, you heard," Konohamaru said casually, as if they were talking about him getting a new pet or passing a difficult test.

"Yeah. I did." It was then that Naruto realized he had no clue how to talk to a terminally ill person. He was afraid to mention anything that had to do with life, or time, or sickness. Had he been accidentally insulting Konohamaru during their lessons? He racked his brain trying to remember their conversations.

"I didn't want you to know, but I guess it was stupid of me to try to hide from you."

Why was he trying to act like the perpetrator? _I nearly KILLED YOU! Don't call YOURSELF stupid!_

"There were times I would have a mild attack right before you would come to training. I was real glad they went away before you saw!"

Naruto's jaw dropped open. _This kid…damn, he's strong._

"I just couldn't let cancer get in the way. When I found out I had it, I wasn't really sad. I was more angry cuz then I knew I couldn't go to school with everyone else and become a ninja. I pretended I could still do it though. Iruka let me read ninja books and stuff. But it wasn't the same. I was always so jealous of Moegi and Udon."

Of course. It must have been terrible to have friends who didn't have any restrictions on their lives, while Konohamaru did.

"When I met you though I thought I could get you to help me. You didn't seem to care if I was sick or not, and that made me happy. Everyone was so gentle with me. You were tough. And because of you, I've learned more about ninjutsu than I would have learned for the rest of my life." Konohamaru bowed to Naruto, smiling.

Naruto felt light-headed. All of this praise, did he really deserve it? "I can't train you anymore," he confessed. "I'm glad you think of me like that, but I can't do it. Not that I know about your cancer. I couldn't live with myself."

The boy smiled sadly, understandingly. "I know. I'm just glad you let me learn in the first place. I'm not stopping. I'll perfect the Sexy Jutsu. Even without your training, I think I'll be alright."

"But you might!" Naruto exclaimed before thinking, feeling his guilt spring up again. "No, you might…" he couldn't finish what he was saying.

"Die?" Konohamaru asked. "I've heard that a lot. But I don't think I will. After all it's only Sexy Jutsu. There's nothing anyone can do to stop me. I don't wanna die, that's for sure, but I don't want to just sit around for years and accomplish nothing. That's what Konoha does all the time. I wanna prove that just cuz I'm named after this place doesn't mean I'm like this place."

Konohamaru's eyes flickered with determination. It was a look Naruto had seen many times before: in the mirror and in the eyes of Sakura and Sasuke. He didn't have the willpower to talk him down then. That would be like discouraging himself. He knew what it was like to feel useless. Konohamaru had probably felt that way for eleven years. He couldn't take ninjutsu away from him now.

**XxXxXx**

Temari walked into the Yamanaka flower shop. The place was bare, with only a few excellent displays up while the rest of the flowers were withering and discolored. It was the opposite of the outside of the shop which was freshly painted with a colorful sign hanging above the oaken door.

Ino was at the register, reading a magazine and chewing some gum. She wore an apron over shorts and a tank top, and her hair was done up in one of those ponytails that looked like it took hours of work. Temari regarded her own hair. She just washed it and threw it up into frizzy ponytails.

Ino looked up when she heard the little bell ring. "Oh, it's you!" she recognized the foreigner immediately. "You guys have been here for like a long time now. That's totally weird, I guess you don't really have a choice of vacation spots," she laughed.

"You could say that," Temari said, browsing the flowers. "I was told this is the best place to find flowers."

"It used to be. Now you'd be better off stealing them from the park," Ino said, quite seriously. "But what can I get ya?"

"Well, actually I wanted to ask you some questions about Shikamaru Nara," Temari said.

Ino's smile disappeared. "Oh. Yeah, I thought I saw you at the hotel he's been sleeping in. Why, do you want me to kick him out? Don't think he'd listen to me."

"He burned a cigarette in my brother's eye," she explained.

"What!" Ino gasped and rolled her eyes. "That guy is fucking retarded. I don't get it. Ugh, whenever I think of him I really get pissed. I'm so sorry."

"No, it's not your fault. I just really would like to know why he's like the way he is. I feel sort of bad for him. I'm studying psychology back in Suna, and he seems like the perfect subject for a project." Temari was only half-lying. She _was _studying psychology, but her fascination with Shikamaru came mostly from his similarity to Gaara.

Ino seemed to be affected by her words. It then occurred to Temari that maybe nobody questions why Shikamaru is the way he is; they simply accept it and continue on. But by the awkward air that suddenly surrounded the usually bubbly girl gave a clue that Ino thought about it a lot, and anyone mentioning it caused her to put up her guard. Temari vaguely wondered if Shikamaru would do the same thing.

"Yeah…" Ino muttered. "I um…he's just Shikamaru. At least, that's what they all say. I mean, it's like they completely forgot how nice he used to be. Ah, but what's your project?"

"Introverts," Temari lied. "He's very reclusive, and he doesn't even live in a house. Must be an orphan?"

Ino frowned. "No. Well I'd like to help you with that project then. I can give you some stuff…like, he's got a dad and mom, Shikaku and Yoshino Nara. Shikaku drinks a lot. He always drank, even before Shikamaru changed. Maybe that has something to do with it? Like his brain is messed up and getting older triggered it? Hell, I dunno, it's not like I know anything about this," she said answering her own question.

Temari meditated on what to say next. "Usually introversion is a temperament, so it's biological. But you make it sound like he used to be an extrovert, so I'd say his change is due to some event in his life, probably a negative one, that quieted him down. Did anything happen to him?"

Wrong question. Temari knew she was treading dangerous waters by asking, but her desire to know overtook any restraint. Ino grew ice-cold and she focused heavily on a potted plant nearby. "Yeah, something did. But I…I can't tell you. That's totally personal."

Who was Temari kidding? A girl she met once before wasn't about to spill her former friend's secrets. Then again, Ino seemed like the type who adored gossiping.

"Okay. Thanks for your help," she said, turning to leave.

"No, wait!" Ino obviously was very much inclined to talk. "It's not like Shikamaru deserves pity. I mean, yeah, something very bad did happen to him and that wasn't his fault, but the stuff he does now is unforgiveable. He is so self-absorbed. Nothing matters to him, like really nothing. It's scary. He's at the hotel cuz his dad beat his mom with a TV, and he's in jail and she's in the hospital. But he didn't care that his mom got hurt. He was just pissed cuz his TV was broken. He just doesn't care about anything but TV. And people feel bad for him cuz his farm declined and his dad drinks and his mom is overworked, but then you've got people like my friend Chouji whose dad is mentally retarded and can't open his own can of soup without help and his mom died, and well look at me, my mom's dead and my dad tried so hard to make this shop successful and it's just getting to him. I'm not saying Shikamaru doesn't have problems, but he's got nothing on Chouji I think. It's just really fucking irritating when people pity him. Pity Chouji goddammit! Pity this kid Naruto! He's an orphan and has a natural disaster locked in him! Pity Sasuke Uchiha! He lost his whole family and can't even legally claim their belongings. Pity my best friend Sakura! She was evicted because she lost her job and couldn't pay rent. But don't pity Shikamaru Nara. If he doesn't care about himself, then no one should."

Temari didn't want to hear that from Ino. She wasn't trying to gain sympathy for the citizens of Konoha. She didn't want to think anything of the people. The invasion was coming, and if she held even a fraction of remorse for them, she would be discharged by her father. But now, she was in too deep. She knew about the problems Konoha faced. She tried to make herself think that Suna would improve the lives of the Konoha citizens. But that would be impossible. They'd be thrown out or reduced to even less than they were now.

"…I don't pity him."

Her father always warned her never to get emotionally invested in any mission. When she arrived at Konoha, she didn't care much about anyone. And then Shikamaru came along. His coldness made him so like Gaara. Gaara's situation made her stay up nights, crying. But here he was, living. Living terribly, but still living. Was it possible that Gaara could live too?

**XxXxXx**

A pile of mail sat at Sasuke's place at the kitchen table to greet him when he got home with Sakura. His face contorted into disappointment. He was looking forward to flopping on the couch and watching a movie with an ice-cold glass of tomato juice. Instead, there were bills and junk mail to sort through.

Sasuke sat at the table, Sakura to his right. "Alright, doesn't this look like fun."

He made three piles; one for bills, one for junk mail, and one for mail he wanted to take a closer look at. One of said mail was an advertisement for hanging tomato planters.

"Do you really want to get those?" Sakura asked, flipping the card around to read the price and instructions.

"A tomato planter? I'd kill for one of those things."

The next piece of mail was in a costly-looking orange envelope with a wax seal. He scanned the neat handwriting on the front of the envelope.

"Director of Otogakure Hospitals, Yakushi Hospital, 1703 Matsuo St?" he read with increasing confusion and annoyance. "Why is Kabuto sending me a letter?"

"No, wait, that's for me!" Sakura exclaimed, but Sasuke had already opened it.

He read the letter:

'_Miss Haruno,_

_How I wish I could be of more help to you. However, I found no information in the medical files of this hospital nor the Kage Bureau that pertained to the Sharingan. I only found a request for head medicine from Itachi Uchiha dated eight years ago. That falls into the time frame of his stay here. The medicine was just for a head cold, and there is no mention in the doctor's notes that he was having trouble with Sharingan at all. _

_Sasuke must be very touched that you're writing all over the place looking for information on the Sharingan. Personally, I'm surprised that he gave consent for you to do such a thing. Writing to so many people makes his distress quite public. It means he doesn't let himself be restrained by pride. Pride is something that can be very dangerous to someone who lets it control their life, and I'm happy Sasuke isn't a person like that._

_I'll be sending you a more personal letter within three days. Conversing with you is one of the things I look forward to._

_Best Wishes,_

_KABUTO'_

Sasuke slowly put down the letter. His insides felt hot. "Sakura, what is he talking about?"

Sakura cringed and turned her head, chuckling in that way people do when they know they've been caught doing something they weren't supposed to be doing. "Um…well…" she struggled with what to say.

"How many people know about my problem? Hmm?" Accusation dripped from every syllable in his words. He circled the kitchen, fuming. "How many fucking people did you decide to tell my sob story? Huh? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" he bellowed when she made a noise similar to a whimper.

Sakura's eyes squeezed shut. Sasuke had never yelled at her like that before. "I'm sorry," she said in a tiny voice. "I just thought it would be helpful, to branch out. Y'know?"

"Oh, I fucking know," Sasuke spat. "I fucking know that you, in your attempt to be helpful, plastered my personal business all over the globe and fucking kept it from me! We live in the same goddamn _house_, Sakura. We eat from the same fridge; we're on the same team. And you're hiding things from me? And something this big?" He looked at the letter, crumpled it, and threw it across the room.

Sakura wished he could go back to the cheery mood he was in for the entire earlier half of the day. She stood with her arms crossed, defensively pulling herself close together. "I…I don't know…I just thought…"

"Yeah, I heard you before. Son of a bitch, Sakura, this isn't something you just fuck around with," Sasuke said, letting his anger deflate a little. He sat next to her. "I know this isn't something you'd think about, but you have to remember the Uchiha clan is one of the most famous clans in the East. The Uchiha and the Hyuuga clans are both very well known and have a lot of enemies. Do you know how many people would take advantage of me, pretending to help me? I was trying to keep this out of the open because I'm aware of the feelings against the Uchiha. Just because I'm the only one left doesn't mean I'm any safer. Lord Sarutobi's a good man to keep me in Konoha. If I wasn't here, I'd be destroyed for the Sharingan."

Sakura paled. She thought of Sasuke, standing outside Konoha's walls, facing down an army of thousands. "I…I didn't even think about that…"

"Of course you wouldn't. After all, who would want something from a citizen of Konoha?" Sasuke asked, shrugging. "Hinata, Neji and her little sister have the exact same problem. To be honest, the information about surviving clan members are kept very different from region to region. A lot of people outside Konoha don't know I'm even still alive."

"I never knew that. I really…I really didn't. Is that why you don't wear your clan symbol a lot?" Sakura asked.

"Basically. Once a clan settles down and stops being nomadic, their skills actually stale from the monotony of their surroundings. There aren't a lot of Hyuugas left because when they moved out of Konoha, they were put in a different environment and were quickly decimated. And I have a feeling that I'm the same way. So I want you to stop what you're doing. I can't afford it. Neither can Konoha, if someone decides to come collect me."

Sakura nodded, her stomach feeling knotty. Suddenly, she felt that everything bad that happened to Sasuke in the future was going to be her fault. "…Sasuke," she felt her eyes burn, "please don't leave Konoha alone."

He smiled gently. "I'll try not to. It's not like I leave Konoha all the time."

"You seem to leave more than me. You've been all over."

He rolled his eyes. "I suppose." Sasuke stood up. "Want some tomato juice? It's your favorite!"

For a moment, she went back to her old self, her face scrunched. "What?!"

He laughed and ran out of the room, avoiding a pillow in the face.

**XxXxXx**

Okay. I graduated high school yesterday! It's off to the real world for me. I'm listening to a graduation CD my friend made for me. It's tearing me up, and actually a few of the songs inspired me to finish this chapter.

This chapter was focused on character development. I really wanted to define some character that haven't been used lately, like Tsume and Kurenai. Confession: my two favorite characters to write are Shikamaru and Neji. And my favorite friendship right now is Shino and Sasuke. I'll have more on the sand siblings and Konohamaru. Ah…Konohamaru…isn't that a pick-me-up? Sarcasm, if you can't tell.

Thank you for your support!


	17. After the Past, Comes

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
Slight AU warning.  
Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!**

Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja trigger a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?

Note: _Italicized lines _often mean thoughts of a character or in some cases dreams. **Bolded lines **often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. _**Bolded italicized lines **_often mean flashbacks.

The Author Speaks: *Update* Currently, this fanfiction contains the HINATA/KIBA COUPLING. If I get one more complaint about it not being Naruto/Hinata, I will start reporting those reviews. *End Update* There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information will be limes/_possible _lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes.

Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except all the characters are two years older than before the time-skip in the series (13 is 15, 26 is 28, etc). Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire.

WARNING! Very explicit, derogatory words about females will be in this chapter.  
NOTICE! My boyfriend found an error in the last chapter. In the second scenario where Temari is talking to Kankuro and is comparing Shikamaru to Gaara, I accidentally called her Tsunade. I don't think anyone was misled by this, but I was talking about Temari.

Definitions:  
none

Songs:  
"Flashing Lights" by Kanye West  
"Angels" by Within Temptation  
"Heartless" by Kanye West  
"Savin' Me' by Nickelback (for Tsunade)

**Show Me a Hero**

_**Chapter 17 – After the Past, Comes…**_

If there was one thing Shikamaru could be, it was be depended on. Temari could depend on him to always be in the hotel lobby, watching TV, sometimes with a breakfast sandwich in his hand, or asleep, with no blanket, just the warmth of the couch. Yes, Shikamaru was a dependable guy in that regard.

She had spent the morning neglecting her duties to her country and instead brooding in her room about what Ino had said yesterday. No pity. Ino's goal was to keep pity away from Shikamaru. And after her little outburst back at the flower shop, Temari was convinced. There were people in Konoha who were a lot worse off than Shikamaru, and yet no one paid attention to them.

Temari thought of all of the encounters she had with Shikamaru. He didn't care about anything. That was the sum of her opinion of him. However, he did seem to react to attention. Though he acted like the attention was bothersome to him, he could easily ignore them. But when strangers gave him trouble or acknowledged him, he reciprocated. That indicated an unconscious need to be noticed. He wasn't even aware of how hypocritical he acted.

"You should just shut up and go to medical school already," Kankuro had said when she presented her theory to him. "You could become a psychiatric ninja. Help out all of the PTSD guys when they come back from some gruesome mission."

"Father won't pay for medical school. He wants me to be a perfect guard to the Kazekage. You know he controls us. And do you think I'd be able to break away from him?"

"Probably," Kankuro said truthfully. "You know you're stronger than him."

Temari didn't know how to respond. True; she was one of the strongest shinobi in the military, but her father was very close to the Kazekage. Having him as an enemy would be an unwise decision. Plus, she liked the Kazekage more than she could ever like her father.

Now, she was watching Shikamaru. There he was, with that damn television. An image of a woman being beaten down with it in front of Shikamaru's apathetic face flashed through her mind. She shivered and started to walk towards him. "Hey. Shikamaru."

He didn't bother to turn around, instead slumping on the couch even farther. He shut his eyes and prayed that there was some other Shikamaru nearby that could possibly be addressed.

"I'm talking to you." Temari approached. She stood by the TV and stared down at him, her eyes cold. She had prepared for this. "Why don't you stop your little bullshit act and look at me, huh?"

"…I don't know what the fuck you're talking about," he said in his flat, bored voice, "but I'm busy."

She smirked. "Wasting away? That doesn't take a lot of effort."

"Why do you keep bothering me?" Now he was inciting conversation. Whether he wanted her to or not, she was going to answer his question. And that would create more words, and more of a chance to be pitied. To be acknowledged as a poor little boy.

"Because worthless pieces of shit interest me." She wasn't going to give him any form of sympathy. He didn't deserve it.

His reaction was expected. His eyes actually moved away from the screen and he looked at her, an almost human expression of surprise on his face. "What?"

"You heard me. Why do you lounge around in public, watching TV all day? Is it because you like people noticing you?"

"What the fuck are you talking about? Stop talking to me." He was getting angry now. People who acted cold usually couldn't be completely emotionless. They were more likely to get infuriated than anything.

"Or is it because your friends won't let you near them anymore? Personally I think they made the right choice. You're not worth helping." Temari didn't completely feel this way. She didn't know him well enough; but she did feel disgust towards him after what Ino said.

Shikamaru stood up. "Fuck you! You call them friends? If I'm going to have to listen to you spout bullshit all day…" he started to walk away.

He was out of his comfort zone. She had succeeded in entering his sacred bubble and popping it. Now she needed to press him. She knew that she was toying with a fragile human mind, but the prospect of changing him excited her. He was no longer a guinea pig for helping Gaara. Gaara wasn't heartless. She wanted Shikamaru to _find_ a heart.

Temari followed him as he went outside and lit up a cigarette. When he saw her out of the corner of his eye, he growled. "If you keep following me I'm gonna fuck you up."

"I certainly don't think you could fuck me up, shrimp. So, what TV are you gonna look for now? Maybe you should go home."

He sucked on his cigarette. "That sounds like a good idea. And if you follow me I'll break your fucking face."

She smirked, ignoring his threat. "Your house is probably really quiet, what with both your parents gone. One's in jail because he beat the other down with a television, huh? I wonder how your mother's doing. What if she's dead? Would you even know?"

He grew pale, stopping. He spun around and grabbed her by the collar of her robe. "Who told you that? Chouji fucking screaming my business all over the place? Fat fuck."

"It was Ino, actually."

Her name was the trigger. He hissed. "That fucking BITCH! She thinks she can fucking blab about everything. Dumb little cunt, she needs to catch a fucking STD already…"

Temari grew hot with anger. The way he spoke about his two former friends, he might as well have never known them. And the way he brushed off the fact that his mother might be dead filled her with rage. She didn't care for her father, but as far as she knew, his mother never instigated any problems. "A lot of people feel bad for you. I hear them around town. They say 'Oh, the boy Nara boy. His father's in jail for hurting his mother.' 'Yes, I heard he was sleeping in a hotel lobby. Probably doesn't want to be at home, where it happened…' But you're not at home because you care. You're not at home because there's no goddamn TV. You don't deserve anything. Pitying you is like pitying a dying terrorist. And how can you say those things about your friends? They were the ones who took your shit when you threw it at them, and buried it like it was nothing. They stuck with you. But you didn't give them anything but the shit."

He threw the cigarette to the ground and threw her back. "Shit? They fucking deserve it! Chouji starts fucking hanging out with Ino, fucking _knows _what she did to me, and he still tolerates her. He doesn't care about me. I don't care about anything. That cunt taught me how to take the whole human race and shout "fuck you!" to it."

"Ino couldn't have done anything bad enough to turn you into the little trashcan you are today."

Shikamaru screamed. She had done it; showing him no pity caused him to rage. He wanted her to feel bad. He wanted that recognition.

"_**Ino?" A twelve year old Shikamaru sat huddled up in a chair by his bed. Ino was laying on the bed, wearing only her underwear and bra. She was reading a magazine. "Yeah?"**_

_**He was afraid to ask her; he didn't want it to be true. His eyes stared down at the floor. "I heard from some guys that you uh…you've been, well, uh…prostituting yourself."**_

_**The magazine fell onto the bed. Tears filled her eyes and she looked up at the ceiling. "…Who told you that?"**_

"_**Hajima. He said that you were with some sixteen year old boys and they were giving you money while you followed them home."**_

"…_**You're right. I'm sorry! It just, you know we can't see each other all the time. When you fucked me, it felt so good, I just wanted more and since dad's not been doing well I thought it'd be a good idea…" she bit her lower lip.**_

_**Shikamaru smiled. "No, it's okay. I get it. Just don't do it again, please? I don't want you to be a prostitute. We don't have a lot of money either, but mom doesn't have to do that."**_

"_**Sure. I'll stop."**_

"How fucking dumb was I, huh? I was such a fucking stupid kid. Just ask her to stop, not even get angry. So simple. I felt fucking guilty. GUILTY! I thought it was my fault. I fucked her, and she loved it, and I thought I made her into a whore." He laughed. It hurt Temari's ears, it was so sickeningly cold.

_**Shikamaru opened the door to his house quietly. Sneaking in was an art, and he couldn't afford to make any mistakes. He wasn't sure if his mom was home, but he didn't want to take any chances.**_

_**It was well past one in the morning, and he had to go through great lengths to avoid ending up in gang territory on the way home from Chouji's. He hadn't brought any weapons with him and his jutsu wasn't very strong, so it took him even longer to get home. **_

_**The door creaked ever so quietly, but he nearly fainted. The sound seemed to echo in the house as loud as a motor, but when nothing stirred, he continued to edge open the door until he could squeeze himself through.**_

_**The floorboards weren't in their best days, so they always did squeak when someone went over them. Shikamaru used his best stealth to avoid making sound, but every now and then he'd make noise that would force him to stay perfectly still until he felt safe.**_

_**His breathing had never been louder. He crossed the kitchen and pulled some food out of his backpack, stuffing it back into the cupboards. His mom hated him taking food out of the house because they couldn't afford to share it, but he didn't feel right taking Chouji's food. As he reached up to close the cupboards, he noticed something odd. Next to the toaster was the money jar that his mom kept for groceries and medicine. It had a lock on it so his dad couldn't get to it when he was drunk. The lock was busted and the jar was on its side, completely empty.**_

_**Shikamaru's insides began to burn. Was there a burglar in the house? Were his parents okay?**_

_**He secured a kitchen knife and crept towards the hall. The pounding of his heart drowned out any other sound. It was unnerving, and sweat dripped down his brow as a myriad of horrifying scenarios flashed in his head. **_

_**As he approached his parents' room, he heard loud breathing that was characteristic of his dad's sleep. Hoping that it really was his dad and not the robber about to kill him, Shikamaru pushed open the door ever so slowly. Watching the door swing caused Shikamaru to become very dizzy. He had no clue what he'd find behind the door.**_

_**No one was standing above the bed, ready to claim anyone's life. Shikamaru breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his mom and dad in an entangled clump in the bed. He lowered the kitchen knife and swore at himself for being so stupid.**_

_**Then, he saw something else that made his heart pound.**_

_**His mom's purse was lying on the side table, money spilling from it. Ryo and coins littered the table and floor. His mom never kept her money so sloppy, nor would she break open the lock to get to any money because she had a knack for remembering things like passwords.**_

_**He walked towards the purse and started picking up the money, confused. Maybe she also had gotten drunk on a whim and decided to go nuts on her jar. As he deposited the clumps of money into her purse, he realized two things.**_

_**One, that wasn't her purse.**_

_**Second…**_

_**His mother yawned heavily and stretched, turning to the side a little. The blanket slipped off her. Long blonde hair covered her back, and her small body clung to Shikaku's elbow.**_

_**Shikamaru's heart froze. It splintered, slowly at first, and then began to crack to the point where he started gagging, backing up and knocking against the table, knocking over her purse. He fell to the floor, hard, screams muffled by his hands.**_

_**It was then she awoke, suddenly. She sat up, barely developed chest exposed and her body covered in sweat, that she saw who was on the floor. Her frosty blue eyes widened as Ino's soft and very scared voice broke into his ears. "Shikamaru?"**_

_**He broke down. His throat burned as he vomited and swallowed it back up. Tears erupted from his eyes as he stood up and backed out of the room, tripping over himself but not caring. All he wanted to do was run as far from the house as possible, to leave. He would do anything to make him forget what he just saw. **_

_**He contemplated throwing himself in the river. Maybe taking the knife and slashing his throat open. Getting the deer angry and being crushed. In between those thoughts, Ino came to mind. Naked, with Shikaku. With their money. His father. Their belongings. All in her greedy little hands.**_

_**He was in the middle of the grazing field now, on his knees. He held the knife by its blade, squeezing it as he sobbed with misery. Blood ran down his arm. He heard the soft sound of someone coming towards him. Ino was dressed, holding her purse, still surprised.**_

"_**Shikamaru, please come inside, you're hurting yourself," she coaxed, shaking.**_

_**He hated seeing her. The knife still cutting into his flesh, he contemplated carving out his eyes. He didn't care about the pain. He was already dead. Ino had ripped his life right out of him.**_

"…_**My dad…my stuff…" he mumbled. He gagged and this time something came out. The contents of his night with Chouji pooled in front of him, mixed with blood and tears. He felt weak, defeated. "You…you took it…our money…you thieving…fucking…" Shikamaru couldn't form a sentence. Every time he tried to say something, he felt sick again.**_

_**Ino became defensive. "I'm sorry, Shikamaru, h-he was really drunk and your mom was out. You know I don't have a lot of money, and he thought I was Yoshino. Please, come inside. I'll leave."**_

_**Shikamaru was half paying attention. He was staring up at the stars in a daze, his mind tired from thinking but not stopping. Usually he liked to look at the stars. They were always so mysterious and gorgeous. But then he realized why there were there. To mock him. They were much more beautiful than anything on the earth, and they were untouchable. **_

_**Ino was no longer a pretty girl with wide hips and a well-developed body for her age. She was a useless whore, a gold-digging slut who got her panties wet for anyone at anytime. There was no way to change someone so disgusting.**_

_**And his dad? A drunk motherfucker. A man who preached to him that girls loved sex and it brought them closer to you, and hell why he was at it drinking was also a great idea to make things more fun. It made you forget about that bad shit you didn't want to think about, and instead you could go and have sex without feeling guilty. And it didn't matter. As long as the person looked like his wife, then it had to be her. Not some little girl.**_

_**Yoshino. The goddamn bitch. She put this all on herself. She tolerated the drinking and the bullshit, she worked a second job and left her loser husband alone at night, and she always praised Ino for being such a nice girl. What was the point of living if you were so fucking oblivious?**_

_**Everyone was blind, and Shikamaru was just as guilty. No one saw evil. No one saw that people were just masses of flesh that operated on nothing but survival. Emotions were just a concept that would let them save face, so they could pretend to have some reason to keep living.**_

_**Shikamaru stood up. He stared at Ino, with eyes that showed nothing. "Thank you," he said, "for showing me what it means to be human."**_

Temari felt weak. He retained that cold stare as he recounted the moment in his life that made him stop caring, and she felt his seething hatred. He wasn't just some kid who thought he didn't get enough out of life; he was honestly broken. She couldn't think of him as some emo boy anymore. For the first time, she was speechless.

Shikamaru didn't feel like he needed to explain himself anymore, but he felt relieved. For years he had kept the secret hidden from everyone, even his dad. Just like Ino had said, Shikaku had no clue the woman he had fucked wasn't his wife, and Shikamaru had no mind to tell him otherwise.

For a brief moment, he felt very close to Temari. Disgusted by that notion, he began to walk away, satisfied that she would leave him alone. To his surprise, she spoke.

"I'm sorry," she said, and Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the billionth apology he's heard since he was three.

"I'm sorry, but I still don't feel pity for you."

That wasn't what he expected. He glared at Temari. "What?" For some reason, that pissed him off. After spilling his soul to the woman, she still didn't think anything of him?

"You heard me." Her face shocked him. Her gaze was also ice-cold, staring at him like he was worthless. No one had ever looked at him like that before. "That's an unfortunate situation, Shikamaru. Your anger for Ino makes sense now, but why did you have to alienate the rest of the world because of it? Why are you putting blame on your mother when she was the true victim? And why would you cast away Chouji? What did he do?"

"Chouji's replaced me with that bitch," he sneered.

"Oh, no no no no no," Temari said, not allowing him to continue. "I'm sure that's not what happened at all. You got rid of Chouji, and as a result he went to Ino. I bet that's exactly what happened, but you can't admit it because you're a pity-seeking little brat. Come on, Shikamaru, why are you still talking to me? I thought you wouldn't deign to speak to worthless humans. But you're angry because I don't feel bad for you. Not. One. Fucking. Bit."

"Both of them are fucking worthless!" Shikamaru spat. "Suddenly he thinks he's so fucking smart and one-ups me? Fuck him. Fuck Ino. Fuck you. What's there to feel bad for him about? He seems to be doing fine even with a retarded dad. And Ino chose to fuck around. It's all she's good for!"

"And what about YOU?" Temari asked, watching him walk away, hoping to get just one more thought in. "What's so bad about your life? Not caring about anything sounds like a pretty good life to me, won't you agree?"

Shikamaru banged open the door to the nearest bar violently, knocking it off its hinges. People all around were watching her, whispering. The new knowledge weighed heavily on her mind, and she left the public eye, disturbed.

**XxXxXx**

Shino was once again in that familiar alley, but he wasn't there for a fix. Zuro paced around the alley, wearing that usual trench. His scraggly brown hair fell in front of his face, but that didn't hide his livid expression.

"Not you too, Aburame. I thought we would have a long friendship," he said. "I have so much stuff to give you. That stuff you had on your mission, wasn't it good? Come on, stay with me and I can give you so much more." He produced many bags of powder.

Shino's heart was racing. He was sweaty and shaky from withdrawal, and seeing the cure for his pain was so tempting. Still, he couldn't give in. His father had already beaten him within an inch of his life, and he tried to remember that pain rather than the pangs he felt from craves. "The stuff you gave me nearly killed me."

"That's not my fault!" Zuro went back to being angry. "What is this? Team 7 manages to complete a couple missions and suddenly everyone thinks they can follow? I've lost 65% of my ninja customers because of them."

"People are finding that they don't have to rely on drugs anymore. Times are changing. I'm just telling you that you can cross me off your list. I've never owed you for anything. There's no reason for you to pursue me," Shino stated. "I'm also here to tell you that if you tried to come after me, I could easily take you out."

Zuro sneered. "Suddenly you're so confident. You know, I feel bad for you and all your friends. One day, they're going to realize that nothing's gonna help them. Shinobi are stupid."

"When did you become so involved in shinobi affairs?" Shino asked, interested.

"Ultimately, the condition of the ninjas affects the civilians. Once there was a time when I wasn't afraid of anything. But sometimes, things happen in your life that make you lose faith. And I've lost a fuckton of it for ninjas." There was a different look in Zuro's bloodshot, grey eyes. He was lost in painful thoughts. "Say, what team are you on anyway?"

"Team 8 with Kiba Inuzuka and Hinata Hyuuga. My teacher is Kurenai Yuhi. Though, she was recently suspended."

Zuro frowned at him. "You…are you serious?"

"About what?" Shino didn't understand.

"You really, no…you know what, I don't want to talk about this anymore. Just go away. If you don't want my goods anymore, then whatever. If you ever want to come back, I'll welcome you back anytime. I'll even throw in a discount."

"I hope I never see you again."

**XxXxXx**

Naruto slurped up some mango-flavored tea. He sighed happily and fell backward onto the grass, letting the sun beat down on his face.

Kakashi stood over him, blocking the sun and causing Naruto to open his eyes. "Come on, I'm trying to tan," whined the blonde.

"You can tan while you're training. I didn't see you finish the taijutsu I asked you to work on." Kakashi felt at home again. It had been a long time since he had been able to boss around Naruto like that.

"Sensei, I'm tired," he complained. "Here, let's make it easy. I can't do it! I surrender. Now beat me up and let's move on."

Kakashi laughed. "You think I'm that gullible, don't you? Come on, up you go. If you don't perfect that jutsu I won't buy you dinner."

Sakura was adjusting the hardness of a punching bag while Naruto and Kakashi argued. "If you don't perfect that jutsu, then you can't proclaim yourself a real man."

Naruto gasped. "How _dare _you insult my manliness? Why, look at these muscles!" He flexed proudly. "I'm a lot manlier than girl pants emo over there."

Sasuke, despite down one arm, had already completed his training and was cooling down with some tomato juice. "I don't wear girl pants. And the last time we compared muscles I beat you by at least a half inch."

Naruto frowned. "Well, there are some things of mine that are bigger than you."

Sakura gagged. "Can you shut up?!"

Kakashi sighed. "Alright, both of you, shut up. Naruto, if you don't complete this jutsu training then I won't let you go on the next mission."

"Sensei, that's not faiiiiiiirrrrrrrr!"

"Stop whining!"

Sakura rolled her eyes and continued beating the punching bag, battering the coarse leather with her reddened knuckles. Tsunade told her to work on her physical strength; after all, a medic-nin had to be able to run through brutal fighting in order to treat someone. As she trained, she noticed two small figures approaching them.

It was Moegi and Udon. Moegi looked summery in a floral sundress, and Udon wore an oversized polo with khaki shorts. Naruto greeted them enthusiastically. "Hey guys, what's up? Come to see me perfect even more jutsu?"

"That'd be awesome!" Udon said, wiping his nose on his sleeve. "What sort of cool move can you show us now?"

Sakura pushed Naruto out of the way, rolling her eyes. "He hasn't learned anything. Don't be fooled."

Moegi stared at Sakura with awe, as if she was the grandest thing the girl had ever laid eyes upon. "A-Are you Naruto's teammate?"

"Yes. My name's Sakura Haruno. And you're Moegi correct?"

Moegi nodded fervently. "Konohamaru's said that Naruto talks about how smart you are. He was right when he said y-you're really pretty."

Sakura flushed and cast a kind glance at Naruto. "Did he? Well, I'm glad he thinks so."

"Oh, I almost forgot! Konohamaru sent us here cuz he wanted us to tell you that he's done with Sexy Jutsu."

Naruto's eyes lit up. "Are you serious?" A wide smile spread across his face.

"Sexy Jutsu?" Kakashi remarked, looking at Naruto in amusement.

"Yeah, can you guys come and see him?"

Naruto looked at Kakashi, hopeful. He shrugged and made a motion for them to go ahead.

Fifteen minutes later, the trio was standing in the shaded part of the hospital's backyard, surrounding Konohamaru. He urged them to back up and grinned at Naruto.

He performed the hand movements and shouted, "Sexy Jutsu!"

White smoke surrounded him. His skin wriggled and twisted into the shape of a busty girl. His eyes widened, lashes growing, and his lips became fuller. His hair remained boy-short, but it worked with the shape of his face.

In front of them was female Konohamaru, busty and giggling.

Naruto smiled, feeling weak. There was the product of his teaching. A success. So this is why teachers did what they did. This is why Kakashi decided to help them, and why other teachers have decided to give teaching another shot. Because when someone understands and is able to produce a result from the words of another, it creates something wonderful.

Hope.

Sakura clapped. "That's really good! It's not easy to change your body shape. You need really good chakra control, and it looks like you have it!"

"Naww," Konohamaru said, trying not to act too proud. "It took me forever to get the boobs right."

"That just means you've never seen real boobs," Sakura pointed out, "right?"

"Maybe in the magazines I showed him…" Naruto mumbled, hoping she wouldn't hear him. He was wrong. She bore over him, eyes on fire.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU SHOWED HIM?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU, YOU ARE THE WORST ROLE MODEL, YOU SHOULD BE STRUNG UP BY THE DICK YOU PERV!" she bellowed, beating him up.

"Wonderful mouth on her, don't you think?" Sasuke asked the three kids, who laughed in reply.

Konohamaru's face was so bright. He was so happy to have mastered his first jutsu. Naruto could feel his eagerness to learn more, and Naruto wouldn't have wanted anything more than to teach.

"What sorta thing will you teach me next?" Konohamaru asked, excited.

Naruto laughed. "We'll figure that out after you get out of the hospital."

"I get out tomorrow."

"Well, then let's meet up tomorrow. I'm thinking we can go on to cloning now." Naruto grabbed him and held him tight against him. "Ahh, this'll be exciting. Kid, you're gonna go far." And he was glad to be the one who helped him.

**XxXxXx**

Ino was sitting cross-legged on her bed. She had just finished painting her toenails and was jerking her upper body to a rap song as she flipped the page of a magazine on her lap. The sun was just about to disappear from the sky and cast night's gaze upon the city, but Ino was wide awake.

She heard her father downstairs cleaning up the store. It had been another dead day. Chouji had dropped by, which was a treat, and he promised her that he'd come over at eleven after he put his dad to bed. Secretly she hoped that her father would finish cleaning early and go to bed so he didn't feel the need to check up on them every fifteen minutes. Chouji was a shy boy and hated feeling like he was doing anything wrong.

Much to her surprise, she heard the shop door open and her father begin speaking to someone. Always a curious girl, she threw the magazine to the side and slid on some flip-flops, tip-toeing down the stairs to see who had paid the late-night visit.

It wasn't Chouji.

Izumo had a weak smile on his face as he regarded Inoichi. "Hello, sensei."

"Izumo!" Inoichi beamed and hugged his former student. "Oh, don't call me that, it's been too long. And that it has! What brings you here? I'm closed, but I think I can make an exception for you."

Ino frowned, and moments from her previous encounter with him flashed through her head. She continued to eavesdrop, tightening her legs together to lessen the tingles that had started to appear.

"I don't want any flowers, thanks. I uh…I'm here to talk to you about Ino, actually." Izumo looked quite discomforted.

"Ino? What about her?"

Izumo smiled a very miserable smile. He didn't speak for another two minutes. Inoichi was growing impatient. Izumo buried his face in his hands. "Oh god, I really don't want to be the one to do this to you…please forgive me. Please forgive me…"

"What are you talking about? What about my daughter?"

Before Ino could even wrap her mind around what Izumo was going to say, he confessed, almost sobbing.

"Your daughter…s-she stole from me. She…she stole seventy hundred ryo from me when I paid her for sex a while ago." Izumo backed up, tears falling from his face, and he leaned against the door, his head in his shoulder. He couldn't look at Inoichi.

Ino gasped and gripped the rail. The color drained from her face.

Inoichi had the exact same reaction. He reached out and grabbed Izumo by the sleeve, dragging him from the door. "What…the fuck…are you talking about? You…you are accusing _my _Ino, my daughter of stealing from you? OF PROSTITUTING HERSELF TO YOU?"

Choking on his sobs, Izumo tried to respond, but Inoichi threw him back, sending him so hard into the door that the glass cracked. "HOW DARE YOU! YOU LITTLE BASTARD! YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR RELATIONSHIP AND TRY TO SWINDLE MONEY FROM ME? YOU COULD JUST ASK ME! HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE MY DAUGHTER OF SUCH…DISGUSTING ACTS!"

"Please, please, I wish it wasn't true, I w-w-wish, sensei, please listen to me," Izumo croaked, holding his arm. "I swear on my life, s-she stole my money. I did pay her for sex. I had a fight with Kotetsu, a-and I just wanted to forget about it, so I used her…I-I'm sorry…b-but after we were finished, she stole my money. A-And I found out from others she's been stealing from them too…we just want our money back…"

"OTHERS? YOU LITTLE FUCK, I'LL—"

"Ask her yourself!" Izumo barked, summoning up the little courage he had in the face of his former sensei. "She's a prostitute! She's been a prostitute for a long time! Just ask her! Look through her closet, and see what you find!"

There was silence. Before Ino could even move, Inoichi was upon her. Surprised that she was at the rail, he leered down at her with an anger that made the air cold. She burst into tears before he even said anything.

"Daddy!" she wailed, trying to act as victimized as possible.

He dragged her into her room and threw her to the side. Protesting, she tried to keep him away from her closet to no avail. He tore all of her normal clothing off the hangers and found what was hiding behind them.

A row of skanky clothing. Mini skirts that didn't cover anything, fishnet shirts, garters, and several costumes. Naked pictures of her were scattered on the floor. Sometimes, she was with customers. There was a jewelry box with handcuffs, vibrators, and a ball gag stuffed into it. Another box held a large sum of money from her clients.

Inoichi froze. Everything went quiet. Ino's cries faded.

Then, reality sunk in. His eyes grew cold and he yanked her forward by her ponytail. She screamed as he threw her to the floor in front of him, facing her closet.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!" he screamed, kicking her. "YOU'RE A GODDAMN WHORE?! MY INO IS A FUCKING _SLUT_? WHEN THE FUCK DID YOU START THIS? WHEN?!"

Ino mumbled the answer, shielding herself from his blows, hoping that everything was just a dream. Another kick proved that she really was in a waking nightmare.

"ANSWER ME!"

"T-Twelve," she whispered.

Inoichi lost it. He started crying and pulled her up, throwing her towards the stairs. Izumo moved out of the way, terrified, and Ino tried to run from her father's rage. Instead, he pulled her down the stairs by her hair.

"TWELVE? YOU WERE JUST A LITTLE GIRL! WHY DID YOU DO THIS? WHY?!"

"WE NEEDED THE MONEY!" she wailed. "BUSINESS WAS SLOW, I WANTED TO HELP!"

"YOU WANTED TO HELP? THEN YOU SHOULD'VE GOTTEN A REAL JOB! YOU COULD HAVE WORKED AT A STORE INSTEAD OF SPREADING YOUR FUCKING LEGS!" He let go of her, hyperventilating and shattering a flower display. "FUCK, IS THIS WHY SHIKAMARU HATES YOU SO MUCH? IS THIS WHY YOU'RE ALWAYS OUT LATE? YOU WEREN'T TRAINING AT ALL, YOU FUCKING LYING SLUT! YOU WERE FUCKING EVERY GUY IN KONOHA!"

"Sensei," Izumo interjected, trying to calm him down.

"GET OUT, IZUMO! YOU'RE NOT GETTING YOUR FUCKING MONEY! IF I SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN I'LL KILL YOU! GET OUT!"

Izumo didn't need to be told again. Shaking, he stepped over the broken glass and towards the door. He cast a very depressed look at Ino before he left.

"D-Daddy…"

"You get out of my house, you goddamn slut. I don't want ANY OF YOUR WHORE MONEY! GET OUT!"

Ino stood up, moving towards her father. She wanted to hug him, to tell him how much she loved him, but instead of holding his arms out for her he pushed her away. Except his push was loaded with force, and she went flying through the door. The crack had already weakened the door, and her body hitting it caused it to explode into hundreds of glass shards.

The bloodied girl lay in the street, glass sticking out of her flesh. She didn't have the will to get up. Her box filled with money flew out and landed next to her, and the door slammed.

She stared up at the dark sky, having no thoughts at all as she slowly bled.

**XxXxXx**

Kakashi and Tsunade were holding cans of tea, accompanying each other from the bar. Tsunade had gone in for her usual fix, and to her surprise Kakashi had walked in a minute after she sat down. Apparently Konohamaru's friends had come to whisk his students away, so he was free. Tsunade really enjoyed drinking with Kakashi. He always was good for conversation.

They always swapped stories about their work. Tsunade learned how much Konohamaru and Naruto cared for each other. She found out about Sasuke's powerful new friend in Kiri. Kakashi learned about the latest mistakes of Lord Sarutobi that Tsunade had to clean up. And, he learned of Shizune's location.

That's when he decided to go buy her some food. Tsunade joined him, buying cans of tea for each other when they were finished. She led him towards the alley.

Shizune was curled up on a mattress, obscured by a blanket. Tonton was squealing underneath her.

Tsunade bent down to talk to her. "Hey, Shizune, we brought you some food. And don't tell me you don't want any. You need it."

Shizune's eyes were half-open, her face partially covered. Kakashi placed the food bag next to her, and noticed something odd about her mattress.

The bottom part was stained red.

A horrible feeling crept through him. "Tsunade, look." He pointed at the red.

Tsunade's eyes widened and she pulled off the blanket. She recoiled and Kakashi groaned in surprise.

Shizune was covered in blood. Her already torn clothing had been ripped so badly around her stomach that she was nearly topless; multiple stab wounds decorated her abdomen. Her tangled hair was sticky with blood.

Tonton crawled out from under her, squealing. She was also drenched with blood, though it appeared no harm had come to the pig.

Tsunade checked Shizune's pulse. Kakashi watched her for a minute, each passing second draining the hope that she was alive from him. Tsunade shook her head, not saying a word.

"…No," Kakashi said quietly.

Tsunade started shaking. Small weeping noises escaped her lips. "She…she didn't deserve…this" Her voice went up a pitch each time she blew her nose.

Kakashi dropped down to his knees and hugged her, pulling her away from Shizune. "Please don't blame yourself, you weren't the one who did this. I don't know who did, but please, don't…don't cry like this."

"I know what happened," another voice spoke from deeper in the alley. Another homeless woman was there. Her eyes were wider than saucers.

Tsunade unburied her face from Kakashi's chest to look at the woman.

"I saw it from here. Shizune's real nice. She let me sleep here sometimes. But there were a couple of others who are mean. They went after that over there," she pointed at Tonton, "saying that it was food. Shizune said she wasn't food, and then they tried to take it from her. And that's when they pulled out knives. I didn't want to get hurt. I wish I coulda helped…"

"She protected a…pig?" Tsunade asked. "No…" she remembered the bright look Shizune gave Tonton. "It's more than a pig, it was the one thing Shizune had, the one thing Shizune took care of. It, no, she was important. After everything was taken away from her, she found something that helped her live. A companion."

As she watched Tonton prod Shizune with her snout, she realized something. Tonton was more of a friend to Shizune than she ever was. Tonton didn't run away and leave her to rot in an alley for fifteen years.

"Tsunade," Kakashi began, seeing the dread in her eyes.

"Don't touch me," Tsunade moaned, curling up into a ball. "How can you still stay by me? Why don't you hate me? You should hate me just as much as Shizune did! I told you how terrible of a person I was. Tonton is better than I am! Why do you comfort me? Why don't you throw me away?"

To Kakashi, it was simple. He didn't feel the Tsunade from the past. When he was around her, he never felt like he was in the presence of a selfish opportunist. Carefully, he picked up Tonton. The poor thing shook in his hands, but didn't fight him.

"What are you doing?" Tsunade asked when he handed the pig to her.

"You aren't like that anymore. You're a wonderful person now. Konoha is a little bit better because of you. If Shizune hadn't…if this hadn't happened, she would have come around and seen how good you are."

Tsunade stared at Tonton with misery. "It doesn't matter. We'll never know now."

"Just take her. You couldn't save Shizune, but you can save Tonton."

She hesitated, watching the pig's little snout twitch. Its pale pink fur was splattered with blood, and its round black eyes stared at her with interest. She held out her arms and took the pig. She held it close and immediately, it stopped shaking.

Shizune had died for Tonton. Shinobi died for their village in the kyuubi war. When Shizune looked at Tonton, she was proud. No one was proud of Konoha. No one would die for Konoha. Konoha wasn't worth protecting, but Tonton was.

She hoped that someday, people would want to die for Konoha. That way, Konoha could live again.

**XxXxXx**

Chouji whistled a popular song as he headed down the street. For once, Konoha's street lamps were working and brightening his path. He was grateful, for it was quite late and he wasn't fond of the dark. He opened a bag of barbeque-flavored chips and went to work on the contents, finishing them in mere minutes. He licked his fingers clean and threw the bag in a residence's unsuspecting garbage can.

The flower shop was still a ways to go. He was beginning to feel tired, and regretted not working out more. Of course, it was always a lose-lose situation. Either he didn't work out and was tired or worked out and was tired from working out. He pictured himself lifting one of those huge dumbbells and decided it wasn't his style, and opened a candy bar to polish off the chips.

A foul smell entered his nose and he realized he had lost track of his location and forgot to cross the street. Instead, he had to endure the vacant lot where garbage was thrown and left. It was heaven for hobos. Chouji noted that with the new apartment complex, the amount of homeless had decreased, but he still didn't want to take his chances. He decided to sprint by it. As he passed, there was a rustling sound. Naturally, his eyes darted to see which hobo was having a party today.

He froze in mid-sprint, and this time turned fully to see if his eyes were playing tricks on him. Regrettably, they weren't.

Ino was propped against the mountain of garbage, looking lifeless. Her clothes were torn and streaks of blood ran dark against her skin. Her hair was lying all around her; so much of it that all that remained was a short boy cut. A kunai was next to her, and he noticed fresh blood mixed in with the old.

Chouji cried out and ran to her, falling to her side and throwing the kunai as far away as he could. There were fresh cuts on her wrists and face.

"What the hell happened?" he shrieked, almost passing out from shock. "Did someone attack you? Oh, we have to get you to the hospital, you're bleeding all over…"

"…I don't want to go," she said in a soft, monotone voice. Her head rolled and her stone gaze bore into his worried stare. "Let me stay here, Chouji. It's where I belong."

His heart sank. "You don't belong here! What happened? Ino…"

"…I ruined everything. I thought that being pretty was important, well I'll never be pretty again…it's not worth it…"

He was horrified. The Ino he knew was always fussing about her look, constantly checking her mirror and adjusting her makeup. "I-Ino."

She smiled. It was a dead smile. "Daddy found out. He found out I was a prostitute. It was all for nothing…I wasn't helping him by doing it…I just ruined everything. His reputation…his happiness…"

Chouji had hoped this day would never come. He had hoped that Ino would stop selling herself and Inoichi would have never known.

"…He kicked me out…I'd kick me out too…who wants to live with a prostitute? I pretended that I was training so daddy would be proud…but he's got nothing to be proud of. What was I thinking, Chouji? Tell me, how could I have thought that this was the best way to live?" Ino shifted, and her cuts began to bleed with more vigor.

Chouji racked his head for healing jutsu. Sakura had taught him an easy one, but he never thought he'd actually have to use it, so he didn't really commit it to memory. "I don't know," he said truthfully. "I don't know why you thought it was a good idea. You said you were good at it, but is that why?"

She let out an empty laugh. "I guess I was afraid of being a ninja…I wanted to be pretty and live for a really long time…and ninjas die…but I didn't want to tell daddy that I didn't want to be a ninja…so I did the easy thing…fuck guys for money. It wasn't hard. And I guess I wanted more, so I, I stole…the consequences never mattered because I didn't think there were any…I got money, daddy was happy…it was nice. I…I didn't think I actually broke his heart. Oh god, Shikamaru…I made him like this!"

"No, you didn't, Shikamaru doesn't have the right to hate everyone because of what you did, please listen to me…"

Ino stared past him. She was broken in front of him. First he lost Shikamaru, and now he was losing Ino. Her sadness killed him, he just wanted to see her smile. Tears ran down his face and he gripped her by the shoulders.

"Ino, please…"

"I have nowhere to go…I might as well just rot here…"

"You have me!" Chouji barked, not bothering to wipe the tears that were cascading from his eyes. "You have me! Don't say you have nowhere to go! I'd never let you rot here. You don't deserve to rot here. Look at you. Why did you hurt yourself? You love being beautiful. You love looking your best. You love your appearance. Why would you destroy it? You don't have to make yourself ugly to get rid of the ugly things you've done. You don't." He hugged her, trying to bring warmth back into her cold being. "You can't make things right by dying in a pile of garbage. You won't make your dad happy that way. Don't be like Shikamaru. Don't run away from the world when it wrongs you or you wrong it. Come back to ones you love. Embrace them, apologize to them. Don't become lifeless. Stay with us. Stay with me."

Ino's lip trembled. She put her arms around him. "Chouji, I-I don't want to leave you. I don't want to be ugly." She shook her head. "I don't want to make you cry too."

"A little late for that," he said, wiping his face and cracking a smile.

The joke attempt worked as she giggled through her tears. He stood and brought her up with him, putting his arms around her and gently walking her through the night, and into the light of the streetlamps that decided to work that day. And what a day they chose.

**XxXxXx**

Going off to Hillsdale College, MI in a week where I'll start my life as a college freshman! Scary! Maybe that means I'll have more time to update, hahahah…hah.

Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. I focused on some characters who really haven't been featured in a while, and I divulged the secret that everyone's probably been dying to know. Tell me what you think. I thought that it had pretty good gasp quality. And Konohamaru succeeded! Three cheers for our favorite Naruto little kid!

Next chapter will involve plot development. Oh snap. See you then!


	18. When Angels Turn Away

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
Slight AU warning.  
Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!**

Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja trigger a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?

Note: _Italicized lines _often mean thoughts of a character or in some cases dreams. **Bolded lines **often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. _**Bolded italicized lines **_often mean flashbacks.

The Author Speaks: There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information will be limes/_possible _lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes.

Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except all the characters are two years older than before the time-skip in the series (13 is 15, 26 is 28, etc). Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire.

Definitions:  
FPS – first person shooter. A video game style where the game is seen through the player's eyes, meant to show realism in weapon-handling.

Songs:  
"Poker Face" by Lady Gaga  
"Shadow Of the Day" by Linkin Park  
"Never Too Late" by Three Day's Grace  
"If Everyone Cared" by Nickelback

**Show Me a Hero**

_**Chapter 18 – When Angels Turn Away**_

The sun seeped in between the hastily shut curtains and blinded Kakashi as he groggily opened his eyes. The usual morning forgetfulness had a hold on him. He sat up, wiping his mouth of the light layer of saliva that had formed. Looking around, his memory shot back to him with each object he saw. He was in Tsunade's living room. He had brought her home after they…

After they buried Shizune.

Pain coursed through Kakashi's stomach. Shizune's face floated into his mind; lifeless, defeated, shamed. They didn't have enough time to give her a proper burial in the cemetery. Instead, they chose a spot far away from Konoha's limits, a pretty place that hadn't yet been trampled by misery. After that, Tsunade took Tonton home, silent and cold the entire time. Kakashi couldn't let her stay by herself. He knew she was just putting on a face. Sure enough, once they got into the house she collapsed into him and cried for hours.

He had been silent the whole time and listened to her wails eventually wither to hiccups. Kakashi hadn't comforted someone in a long time, and never felt he was good at it. The last time he had been in this situation, he was the one in tears. When Rin and Obito were killed.

He didn't know what to think about them anymore. If he had been with them, maybe he'd be dead too. Or maybe Obito would have postponed the trip long enough to make up with them, and they'd all be alive and well today. That one seemed the most outrageous of outcomes, because if their trip succeeded, then Konoha would probably be better off.

Banishing the topic from his mind, he stood up and walked to her bedroom. She was curled on top of the sheets, clutching a tear-stained pillow.

Kakashi watched her for a while, wondering if it was a good idea to wake her up. He didn't know what would happen. She could lapse into depression again, and he didn't want to see her cry.

He didn't have to contemplate long. She shifted and let out a soft moaning sound. Her eyes fluttered open, bloodshot, and she looked over at Kakashi, unsmiling.

Kakashi didn't know what to say. "Good morning," he said without thinking. Immediately he felt foolish. _Of all the greetings to choose…_

To his surprise, she brightened a little. "Good morning."

"It's around eleven," he replied with surprise, but quickly turning the conversation to something normal so she wouldn't have time to think about yesterday. "It's a beautiful day. We should go out for breakfast. I'll pay."

She seemed about to say yes, but quickly her expression turned to one of remembrance. She shook her said. "No. I don't really want to go anywhere today."

Understanding, Kakashi sat next to her. "It's alright."

It was quiet for a few minutes. Her head went to his shoulder, her blonde hair falling over his shirt. Her purple eyeshadow was smeared a little, some residue on her eyebrows. Absent-mindedly in the silence, Kakashi dabbed his finger against the smudge to rub it away.

"What're you doing?" she asked tiredly, and he started. Standing up suddenly, she fell onto the bed, unprepared.

"Oh! Sorry," he apologized quickly, feeling a little awkward. He was used to the bar setting when it came to personal time with Tsunade, not her house.

She shrugged and turned to the vanity. Noticing her bed head and messy face, she groaned. "Great, now you're seeing me in all my morning glory." She went to the vanity to fix herself.

"I don't mind," he said truthfully. "Um…"

She applied some makeup remover to her face, not looking back at him. "She's dead."

His heart fell. He didn't expect such a quick subject change. "…Yes."

She smoothed her lips with some deep red lipstick. "She's never coming back."

"I know that."

She combed her hair and pulled it into a loose ponytail. "She's with Dan and Nawaki."

He started to feel uncomfortable. "Why are you bringing this up?"

She put down her comb, her expression becoming sad. "Because it's over for me," she said finally. "I don't have any burdens. I know that sounds terrible, but would you hear me out for a sec?"

"I'd never hate you," Kakashi promised.

"Alright. Here goes. I pretended to love Dan so I could gamble. When I tried to bribe his family, Nawaki was killed. I lost someone important. And when Dan let himself die for me, his father lost someone. And then I killed his father. The cycle ended. No more lives were owed. But, I was wrong. In all my anger, I forgot about the innocent one. I forgot about Shizune. I spent fifteen years away, not even giving her a second thought. And then when I came back, the cycle rewound. Shizune deserved my life, and she held her own. Only then would it be over. But she died without taking my life. Now, I'm in control of my destiny. There's no more owing. The pain that I felt whenever I saw Shizune, it's gone. Now _she's _gone, and no more do I have to see my sin." All that time she sat, looking at Kakashi through the mirror.

It was silent. Kakashi shook his head after a few minutes. "I don't think that's right."

Surprised, Tsunade frowned. "What?"

"You aren't free from anything. Even though Shizune's gone, and you don't have to worry about her, what happened is still inside you. You'll have to live with that guilt for the rest of your life. I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you that everything's okay, but the only thing that'll make it okay, at least for a little while, is alcohol. I also have guilt. I pretended that I had nothing to feel guilty for, and I drowned it in beer, but that just made it worse. When I was put in charge of Team 7, suddenly I had a team who cared about the world, and themselves. They didn't let me pretend anymore. I had to face my guilt. They don't know this, but they really helped me. Their dedication and their success made me hopeful. That's when I knew that it was my fault that Obito and Rin died, and there was nothing, _nothing _that could make that fact go away. But, I knew that I could get over it, as long as there was something else in the world that I had hope for. Dusty, crappy Konoha'll actually help you some, I think. Once you see the brightness creep out of its hiding place, you'll be a lot happier. Sure, you'll have to remember that it was your fault that Nawaki died and Shizune ended up on the street, but when your faith is in something that won't fail, it's one of the greatest feelings in the world." Kakashi walked over to her door, and stared out into the dark hall.

Her eyes fell to the floor. She gripped her comb and let it come to rest on her lap. She smiled, just a little. "You think so?"

"I'm going to help you," he stated firmly. "I can't stand seeing you this confused." He looked back at her, resolute.

"I'm grateful for your help."

**XxXxXx**

Sasuke wandered down the street, running his fingers down his cold arm. It was breezier than he liked, and his hair constantly whipped in front of his face. Shino, who always wore heavy clothing, didn't mind it as much, and Sakura had tied her hair back so it wouldn't bother her. He wondered vaguely how he could be a capable ninja and not know how to dress for the weather.

"Everyone's looking at you," Sakura teased, swinging her grocery bag around. "They probably want to sign your cast. You're really something to them. I bet the little kids act out your boat battle when they're playing."

Shino cast Sakura a skeptical glance behind his sunglasses. "They don't know what happened."

"It's called an imagination. I'm assuming you have one," she joked.

Sasuke enjoyed the friendliness between Shino and Sakura. When he came home from his morning shift with Shino in tow, it worried him that Sakura would not know how to react, resulting in an awkward afternoon. To his relief, she welcomed him warmly and immediately conversed with him like he was an old friend she hadn't seen in years. Shino, at first shy, opened up gradually to her and now they were having the best time walking home from the grocer.

"It's not that sunny," she observed. "I think you can take off your sunglasses."

"No," Shino expressed, sounding like a self-conscious girl afraid to wear shorts in public.

"How do your eyes look, by the way?" Sasuke asked.

"Not that great," he admitted. "I'm still in a lot of pain."

Sakura grimaced. "What about your bugs? Have you, uh, acquired any more?"

"My father let me have two of his," Shino stated. "They'll multiply and I'll have plenty after that."

"That's nice of him. I thought you'd have to make some journey to whenever those bugs live and get some yourself." Sasuke really had no idea how Shino was given these two bugs, and he didn't care to find out.

"It's part of my punishment." Shino pulled out a candy bar to munch on. Lately, he had begun to eat a lot more, especially candy.

"Oh? Why?" Sasuke and Sakura didn't understand.

"When the bugs reproduce inside your chakra stream, it's one of the most painful feelings in the world. Your stream needs to expand in order to fit the bugs, and that puts a lot of strain on your body. I probably won't leave my house for a week once I start feeling it." Shino snapped off a piece of chocolate and chewed.

The two looked horrified, and decided it was best not to pursue the subject anymore. Sasuke pulled a tomato out of his grocery bag. Sakura squealed. "Sasuke Uchiha, you will _not _eat that tomato before we get home!"

"Why not? It looks so juicy!"

"It hasn't been washed properly. You could get the juice all over your clothes, or your cast, and then you'd be a mess! The seeds could fall onto the ground and attract ants, and knowing you you'll probably just throw it on the ground when you're done."

Fine, mom. I won't eat it." He begrudgingly put it back into the bag.

Shino smiled, amused by their exchange. He glanced over at the row of houses on their left. A squat boy was walking with a tall, short-haired girl. Something about them seemed familiar. He lifted his sunglasses. The unmistakable blue of the headband was on both of them. "Chouji? Ino?"

Hearing Ino's name, Sakura perked up, looking all around the street. That's when the couple stopped and turned.

They almost didn't recognize Ino. Her long hair was gone, replaced by a rebelliously short boy cut, combed so a bang fell in front of one of her eyes. She wore a baggy tee shirt that most certainly belonged to Chouji, and sweatpants. There was no hint of makeup on her face, and her eyes had noticeable dark spots underneath.

As they closed in on each other, Sakura noticed cuts all over Ino's wrists and arms. She gasped and grabbed her, flipping her arm over to expose them. "Ino…what happened to you?"

She jerked her arm away. "My dad found out. He kicked me out. I got depressed."

"Oh!" Sakura threw her arms around Ino, squeezing her tightly.

She slowly hugged her back, smiling a little. "I'm fine now. Everything's fine. I feel a lot better, actually. You don't have to worry anymore. I'm not prostituting anymore."

"What happened to your hair, your makeup?" Sasuke piped in. He looked happy at Ino's decision, but also sympathetic. "I never thought you'd have such short hair."

"Ah, it's all troublesome," Ino chirped, running her hair through the tiny blond locks. "I think I look pretty good like this. And when I stripped away all of my makeup, I saw that I didn't need as much as I would put on. So, I think I'll try this look for now. And I must say, it takes considerably less time to put together! I didn't have to get up two hours beforehand."

Shino stepped forward with a smile. "It seems one-by-one, we're all falling under the influence of what is right." He lifted his sunglasses, exposing his healing eyes.

Ino started. She'd never seen his eyes before. Chouji leaned in and grinned. "You know, I think you're right. Something good's happening to Konoha. People are getting more confident. Little by little, we're all feeling the influence. And it started with you guys." He acknowledged Sakura and Sasuke.

"Us?" Sakura felt meek. She was just a human being; capable of a lot, yes, but not particularly important in the world.

"There are a lot of people in Konoha who still believe. It's just been buried by bitterness and anger," Shino remarked. "Because of your first mission, because of that success, people saw that they could trust shinobi. They could put their safety into the hands of others. In this long depression, we've closed ourselves from everyone. Both of you, and Naruto, have chipped away at the walls of mistrust and selfishness we thought we had to have."

"It's true," Ino piped in. "I'm one of those people. I didn't really think that there'd be any way to be happy as a ninja. I didn't think I'd get anywhere. Chouji helped me believe."

"I didn't think I'd be a great ninja, either," Chouji admitted. "I'm fat and definitely not athletic. People treated me like crap, even after I got the headband. But those little acts I've done with jutsu, and you," he looked at Sasuke, "you helping Sakura made me see that people really can be good. Especially Ino's own kindness, that really affected me."

"But that's between you both," Sakura pointed out. "You both changed because of each other. We were barely a factor."

"Think about it," Shino said. "After your successful first mission, little-by-little there were beneficial consequences. After you became Chuunin, didn't you notice the morale of the village go up? If you want a statistic, the drug trade has decreased substantially. There are small changes for the better happening. Tsunade's at the top, helping Lord Sarutobi. And you're in the ranks, boosting confidence and patriotism. You can't deny that."

Sasuke smiled. He knew what Sakura wanted to do. She didn't feel worthy of the praise they gave her. Honestly, he felt it was early as well, but didn't want to shoot them down. He knew they meant well. "And now that we've provided influence, we hope that you all will help us out spreading it."

"I think it's something I owe to you," Shino said very seriously. "If you weren't on that boat, I don't think me or any of my teammates would be alive."

Sasuke nodded. He felt the sincerity in Shino's words. It reminded him of those legendary knights, who took words seriously instead of throwing them around.

Ino looked at Sakura with amazement. "I still don't know how you did it."

"Did what?"

"Be my friend. I had no consideration for you. You never liked what I was doing, and I didn't care. I didn't think it was any concern of yours. How could I have been so narrow-minded? All I ever talked about were boys and clothes and sex…"

Sakura shook her head and laughed. "Ino, I always enjoyed talking to you! Believe me; I love what you have to say most of the time. You shouldn't stop talking about what you like. I worried about you constantly, but I felt that you could take care of yourself. I wasn't your mother. I don't think babying people helps them get anywhere. I just hoped that one day you'd realize your mistakes, and you did. I couldn't stop being your friend. Even if you did all those things, you still cared about me so much. I knew it was real. I wasn't afraid that you were a fake person, just that you'd become one. And now I don't think I ever have to worry about that again. But," she added, remembering; "now I wonder; where are you going to live? Are you going to try to make up with your dad?"

Ino's demeanor noticeably quieted. She cast a glance down at the ground. "I want to. But he's the kind of guy who needs time to think. I'll give him a few days, and then I'll go see him. As for where I'm going to live, I think I've figured it out."

"She's with me," Chouji stated.

Sakura didn't expect that. "You? But, your father…isn't that going to be tough?"

"I'd never leave a friend behind. Dad's fine with it. He's not too much trouble most of the time. And Ino is going to be a big help. She's another set of hands to help around the house."

Chouji and Ino's situation reminded Sasuke exactly of himself and Sakura. It made him very happy. "Congratulations," he said quietly. "I'm sure it'll be wonderful experience."

He looked at Sakura, who didn't hear him, and smiled, his eyes full of warmth.

**XxXxXx**

Temari swung open the door to the hotel, finished with her observations for the day, and headed up to her room.

Konoha seemed to be a pit of depression. She couldn't walk down one stretch of road without feeling like her happiness vanished with each sunken stare from a citizen, or from each boarded up house.

She didn't want to invade Konoha. It would make Konoha worse. The people would be oppressed, thrown away. Her father insisted that the Kazekage would make the place better, but she doubted.

There were even times when she doubted the Kazekage. This plan seemed extreme for a man of his character. He wasn't a pacifist, but he sure as hell wasn't a warmonger, either. He also wasn't the type to beat up smaller countries.

Something about it didn't sit well with her, but she loved Sunagakure. And she hoped that somewhere in his heart the Kazekage would be merciful.

She thought about Shikamaru, the young man who had been through a terrible experience, and who hated everything, even himself. Yet, those people who wronged him held so much good in them; she didn't want him think like that.

Something jolted Temari from her thoughts. The energy balance in the hallway had been thrown off. Someone had used chakra. With a gasp, she rushed into her room.

The place was in shreds. The mattress had been torn to pieces, cheap stuffing spilling out of the rips. Their luggage lay strewn about the floor. The dresser had fallen over, and the painting's frame sported cracks similar to if someone had punched it. The wallpaper bore deep scratch marks, and something else that she horrifically identified as blood when she looked closer.

"KANKURO! GAARA!" she screamed, pulling her fan from its straps and dashing around the small room, peaking into the bathroom, and out the window. Nothing.

"Oh shit, shit…" she swore. Had shinobi been onto them? Had they ambushed Kankuro and Gaara? Were her brothers okay?

She erected invisible chakra barriers outside the windows and on the door, so that when she locked it only she would be able to enter. She did so, and started walking down the hallway, almost shaking.

She had to call Baki immediately.

**XxXxXx**

Someone knocked on the door.

Naruto groaned. He had settled into that spot on a couch where it's so comfortable you wouldn't want to move. Still, he knew that someone was calling for him and that was a little more important than his comfort…depending on the person.

He bid goodbye to the couch, leaving behind his exercise magazine, and walked to the door. He opened it to a smiling boy wearing a beanie and an oversized sweater.

"Konohamaru! You're out of the hospital already?"

"Yup, they let me out this morning. Grandpa and Iruka didn't want me going anywhere, but I said I wasn't gonna do any ninja training or whatever." He seemed antsy, like he wanted to revoke that statement.

Naruto grinned and leaned down. "Come on in. Maybe we shouldn't practice today. You just got out after all."

Konohamaru dashed into his house, looking around like he'd been invited into a secret room carrying all sorts of world mysteries. Everything about Naruto's seedy little abode amazed him. He tried out the couch, looked through his bookshelf, tapped on the glass of his fish tank, and opened every cabinet in the fridge. Naruto's bedroom was like an amusement park to him, and he jumped on the bed and stared at every picture and object with glee.

"Having fun?" Naruto finally asked, interrupting his exploration.

"Oh!" Konohamaru jumped, looking at a picture of Team 7 and Kakashi. "Sorry. I really like going to other people's houses. I'm so used to mine, so seeing how other people live is really cool."

"It is fun, you're right. It defines the person, I think." Naruto walked over to the picture and blew dust off the frame. "But you've got a really nice house. Mine can't compare."

"Yeah, mine's cool and all," Konohamaru muttered, "but yours is awesome! I can't believe you live by yourself. That's so…cool! You're like an adult. You get to do things the way you want."

Naruto smiled knowingly. He could have told him that on a certain day every month, his heart would fill with dread on whether he could pay for light, water, heat, etc. He could have told him that cockroaches would occasionally crawl through holes in the siding and eat away the food he struggled to afford. He also could have told him that when he got home at night, there weren't any warm welcomes and hot meals at the table, no conversations to keep him smiling through the night.

But Naruto wouldn't say these things. Konohamaru viewed him as the strongest, 'coolest' guy ever, and Naruto would let him keep thinking that, for his sake. Once he had gained a few years, Naruto would let him see his weaknesses.

"You must really be good friends," the boy observed, watching the picture frame Naruto held in his hands.

Naruto stared down at it. "We are. I never thought I'd have friends like them, ever. Before Team 7, I never really had anybody. Sure, there were a few buddies here and there, but no one who'd matter at the end of the day. I didn't know Sakura that well. I had heard she was really smart and that she entered the Academy of her own free will. Everyone'd heard about Sasuke. He always came to class early and left right when it ended. He never talked to anyone. He'd walk back to his house far away from everyone else's and do who-knows-what. A lot of girls always talked about how hot he was, and how he was so mysterious. The guys grumbled about him. I didn't know what to think. I'd seen him in the aftermath of the Uchiha massacre. It was the only time I'd ever seen him weak." He put the frame down. "And Kakashi, I remember his reaction to our group. He was bewildered that we were actually determined to do well. But he's a good guy. He's led us well. Now, come on. Want something to eat?"

Naruto pushed him out of his room and walked into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and pulled out some yogurt cups.

Konohamaru sat himself down at the table. "I really want to be on a team when I get older," he said. "Me, Moegi, and Udon. Wouldn't that be the best?"

"To be with your best friends? I think it would be," Naruto agreed. He opened up the cups and pulled out some chocolate crisp cereal to sprinkle into it.

"I know they say I can't be on one, but when I get really good cuz of training they'll totally let me, I know it. And I can get Iruka to group us! I wonder if he'd be our leader." Konohamaru's face glowed with excitement.

"He doesn't lead teams. He does more of the secretarial work," Naruto explained. He grabbed two spoons and placed the yogurt in front of Konohamaru, and settled into his own chair. "I'd always ask Iruka to be my leader, too. But he couldn't. He's one of the most organized shinobi. He does the work of a lot of people."

"Yeah, he is always talking about how he wishes he had assistants," Konohamaru remembered. He began to eat the yogurt, enjoying the chocolate addition in the creamy treat. "I wonder what our team specialty would be."

"There's no way you can figure that out now." Naruto spooned some yogurt into his mouth and ate, licking his lips. "Moegi and Udon don't even know any jutsu yet. You've got a couple of years before you should start worrying."

"They want me to start teaching them!" Konohamaru piped up. "I told them that I'd probably be a really bad teacher, though. I think you'd be a lot better."

Naruto laughed. "Seems like everyone wants a jumpstart on their training all of a sudden. I've got enough on my plate training you. Let's keep it that way; otherwise I'll have to start charging."

"Fine." Konohamaru ate some yogurt. "I wouldn't be able to afford it, probably. I don't get an allowance."

"Really? For some reason I expected that you'd get one."

"I have to ask Grandpa for money. He doesn't like me leaving the house, so he doesn't want to make it so I can buy stuff all the time. But Moegi and Udon buy stuff for me anyway."

"You guys have been friends for a long time, haven't you? You're always talking about them," Naruto observed.

"I met them in kindergarten, when I could go to school with everyone else cuz I wasn't sick," the boy replied. "Even after I got sick they were really nice to me and would always come over, and they weren't afraid to walk around with me even though I could have an attack at any time. At first it scared them, but they got used to it."

The way Konohamaru spoke about his illness, it made Naruto's heart ache. He treated it like a minor inconvenience. Naruto wished he could see it that way. "…How many times do you have attacks?"

"When I was littler, about once every two weeks. When I got to about eight they only happened every couple of months. Now, they happen a little more often. They took me off my medicine actually. They said that wasn't doing anything to help me. I think I built up immunity or something." Konohamaru finished up his yogurt.

Naruto still dabbed at his, feeling down. "So, you don't have your medicine anymore? What if you have an attack?"

Konohamaru didn't reply. He looked at his empty yogurt cup, reading the little ads they placed on the back. "You know, they say I'm really lucky."

"Who says that?"

"My doctors, Iruka, and Grandpa. Usually people who are sick like me get worse and worse so they can't even leave their bed, but that hasn't happened to me. I'm glad too, because I love going out way too much!" Konohamaru brightly smiled at him.

"Yeah, you can only stay stuffed up in your house for so long," Naruto agreed.

"Yeah." Konohamaru trailed off. He thought about something and smiled.

"What's up?" Naruto asked quizzically.

"What? Oh, sorry. I was thinking about Udon and Moegi…well, about Moegi mostly," he admitted sheepishly, suddenly becoming shy.

"Yeah, she's a good girl." Naruto noticed his changed demeanor. "Or is this about something else?"

Konohamaru didn't answer at first. The boy turned his cup over and over, struggling with what to say. Finally, he looked up. "Well, she's just really cool. We've been friends for a long time and even though she's a girl I think she's my best friend more than Udon. Can you have a better best friend?"

"I think so. I mean, Udon and Moegi can't be equal, that's for sure. They're different genders and different people. You like them for different things."

"Yeah, you're right. I like Udon a lot, don't get me wrong. But I think I like being with Moegi more. She's really funny and nice, and she's smart. She doesn't get scared when I have complications, and she's not like those other girls who worry about how they look all day. Not that she's sloppy or anything, I mean she's really pretty," Konohamaru quickly added.

Naruto grinned, realizing why he became shy. "You like her, don't you?"

The boy blushed. "Well, I, um, I dunno, well, I uh, I guess," he finally said, withdrawing into his seat.

Naruto joyously thought about his old crushes. When a boy enters the double digits, his body's game to start changing. Konohamaru was at that stage, and crushes were a fragile thing to talk about. Naruto didn't want to realistic and tell him that the feelings will probably go away after a while. In fact, he felt that he should encourage him. Young 'love' was always adorable. "That's pretty cool," he said, the huge grin still plastered on his face. "So what are you gonna do about it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you going to tell her?"

Konohamaru looked like someone being led to the gallows. "Tell her?! Are you crazy! How can I do that? It'll make everything so awkward for Udon, and what if she doesn't like me back? We'll never speak again and I'll be alone and I'll eat ice cream and get fat because no one else will love me!"

"Um, that's supposed to be what girls do," Naruto affirmed. "Guys just go to the bar, order some greasy mess and a pint and moan to the bartender." Seeing the blank look on the kid's face, he chuckled. "And I'm fully aware that you can't do that sort of thing at your age, so how about we skip that thought and you go to her house and tell her."

"I can't just do that. I mean, you probably didn't go to your crushes and admit you liked them, did you? Besides, I don't wanna damage our friendship. She'd probably never wanna look at me again," he lamented, expression dropping to one near misery.

Naruto stood up and collected the yogurt cups. "Well, how about you get her a gift? It's a lot easier to say things indirectly. Write her a letter or something." He dumped the cups in the trash and washed the spoons.

"A letter? Yeah, that wouldn't be weird at all. 'Hey Moegi, I wrote you this letter even though I live twenty minutes away'."

"Okay, thank you for being difficult," the blonde replied. "Fine. What do you think you should do?"

"Well, if I'm gonna tell her that sort of thing, I should maybe write it on a note. Like, with a gift or something," Konohamaru murmured.

"A gift! Everyone loves gifts. What do you think Moegi would like?" Naruto grew excited. He liked helping people make others happy.

"Well we always eat ramen together, maybe I'll get her a coupon," he suggested.

Naruto shook his head. "Nah, you can't do that. That's fine if you're just giving a gift as a friend, but when you're trying to get a girl, you have to think of something that they'd never expect you to get them, and it's gotta be something they'll love, like a bracelet or underwear."

"U-Underwear?!" Konohamaru blushed. "That's gross. Why would I get Moegi underwear?"

"Well, I'm talking about us older kids," the blonde explained.

"Have you ever given anyone underwear?" Konohamaru inquired, curious.

"Some guys I hung out with when I was younger made me deliver some to a girl one of the guys liked," Naruto recalled. "I didn't realize that the underwear was hers to begin with and they'd stolen it from her bedroom. She thought I was a stalker and I got in trouble. Other than that, no. There really aren't any girls I like."

"Oh. Well, um, let's scratch underwear off the list. How about flowers?" Konohamaru let out a few coughs.

"Flowers!" Konohamaru's choice impressed him. He hadn't even thought of that. "That's a great idea. Let's go to Yamanaka's, then." Naruto put the spoons back in their proper drawer and went to grab his coat.

Konohamaru pushed the chair out and stood up. His eyes widened and he started breathing heavily, and leaned against the table, resting his head on the top. Suddenly, he felt very weak and dizzy.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked when he came back into the room, bundled up in an orange coat.

The boy's affliction subsided, and he looked up with a small smile. "Nothing. I just don't feel too good."

Naruto's heart began to pound. He prayed that nothing bad had overcome him. "Are you alright? Maybe we should get her something another day."

Konohamaru shook his head, keeping his smile. "I'm fine! Don't worry about me. Let's go."

With that, he ran outside the house as if to prove his sound health. Naruto considered taking him home, but knew it would be a lost cause. He followed Konohamaru out, and they headed over to Yamanaka's flower shop.

The door stood like a skeleton, its glass shattered. Naruto directed Konohamaru around a shard sticking from the ground and walked in with him. The shop looked bare. Where flower displays used to be were empty spaces, and boxes sat all around, holding flowers with dirt spilling from the sides. Inoichi stood with a box in his arms; he regarded them at the door.

"Hello Naruto, and Konohamaru." He set the box down on a counter. "How's training going, Naruto?"

"Just great! I'm starting to learn this technique called Rasengan. It's difficult, though. I'll have to work really hard for it to be ready by next month," Naruto stated.

"Rasengan, already? I'm impressed; most Chuunin don't learn that one. I can't do it, myself, but I make up for it," Inoichi replied, wiping some dirt off his hands.

"I bet you do. I wish I could've seen you fight. How about Ino? Do you know how she's doing?"

Inoichi darkened, to Naruto's surprise. With a glance at Konohamaru, he leaned close to Naruto's ear. "Did you know Ino did that sort of thing?"

"What?" It didn't register in Naruto's brain what he was talking about at it. Then, he understood. "Oh…um…" he didn't know how to answer that. After all, this was her father. "Y-Yes I did…"

He moved away, looking miserable. "Of course you did. Most people did. I can't believe it. Well, if you're looking for her, I...I don't know where she is. She's not allowed here to live here anymore. Try Chouji's. She's probably there."

"Oh. Um…" Naruto didn't need to ask why she was kicked out. "I'm…sorry…" He hadn't prepared for this. He stood there dumbly.

"Excuse me," Konohamaru muttered shyly, "but is it okay if we buy some flowers?" The preteen hadn't been following the conversation.

"What? Oh, of course!" Inoichi exclaimed, snapping out of his depression. "Yes, look around. You might be my last customers."

"Are you closing down?!" Naruto asked, shocked.

"Temporarily. I've been losing so much money keeping this shop open that I think it's time I did a little travelling. Right now, Konoha isn't in a flower-buying mood, and I'm not really in a flower-selling mood either. So I'm going to travel around and visit family. I'll look at flowers in different areas and see if I can't bring them back. I want the re-opening to be something good. Also, I need to make some money for that to happen. I think there are other opportunities elsewhere. And I realize that I've got a privilege that most people here don't have, by being able to leave. I want to make the best of it."

"Why are you coming back?" Konohamaru asked. "A lot of people wouldn't like it that you didn't escape."

Inoichi smiled. "Because I have things precious to me here. Even if there's a lot of heartache, I can't forget the love. Team 7 gives off a strong sense of accomplishment that Konoha hasn't seen in years." He looked at Naruto. "I remember when every team used to be like that. I think coming back and starting brand new will also inspire people. They'll think 'hey, if he can try it all over again then maybe I can too'. I know it won't work for some people," his eyes fell on a picture frame hanging behind the counter, "but others will be fine."

"…Oh." Konohamaru seemed overwhelmed by his answer. He went off to look at the displays.

"I'll be upstairs, so call for me when you're ready," he told to the boy's back. The retired ninja beckoned Naruto towards him. "Always stay with your friends. And keep succeeding. People are starting to look beyond the beast inside you. They see Sasuke as something more than the surviving Uchiha. They don't call Sakura a poser anymore. No longer do people call Kakashi the 'failure of a son of that guy who killed himself in the park'. You're all blessings to this village, Naruto Uzumaki."

With those words, he walked upstairs.

Naruto stood, amazed. _A blessing? Did someone really call me that?_ He's been referred to as 'the scourge of Konoha' or 'Konoha's future destructor'. But a blessing? It warmed his heart to hear that. He couldn't stop grinning, and his eyes stung. To think, after so many years of ridicule, he'd be praised.

"I like these." Konohamaru broke him from his dreamy state. He held a bunch of bubblegum-pink azaleas. "I think Moegi will like them too."

"They are cute," Naruto remarked, embarrassed that he used that word. He picked up a little piece of stationary on a twisted metal rod. "Here, you can write your note on this."

They called Inoichi down and Naruto paid for it all. Bidding good luck to the older man, they left the store and headed for Moegi's house. Konohamaru weaved through people as he wrote his note.

"Be careful, you're going to run into someone," Naruto warned, guiding him.

"Sorry, I just don't want to forget what I'm thinking and then write something lame," he said.

They arrived at Moegi's house fifteen minutes later. It was at the end of a row of shabby ranch houses. Hers didn't particularly stand out, but they had the neatest lawn on the block. Everything was trimmed nicely and the windowsills were sprouting with flowers. It made up for the rotting wood that adorned the outside of the house.

Naruto went up to the door. "Alright, time for the moment of truth," he said, beckoning Konohamaru. Konohamaru held the flower pot tightly and stuck the letter in the soil. He knocked on the door, looking scared.

No one was home. Naruto stepped back and sighed. "Ah man, that sucks. Guess we should come back tomorrow."

"No, actually this is better," Konohamaru said. He walked around the house. Naruto followed him. The boy set it on a windowsill outside a very brightly colored room. "That way, she'll find it and it'll be like a surprise. I think it'll give her time to think rather than just giving it to her in person and expecting a reaction."

They headed back down the block. Konohamaru had an extra skip in his step, which cheered Naruto. "So," the blonde said as they got to the end of the block, "you excited to hear what she's got to say tomorrow?"

"Yup!" Konohamaru piped. "She's gonna be really happy."

"What did you write, exactly?" Naruto asked, curious.

Konohamaru turned towards him, walking backwards. "Well…I guess you'll have to ask Moegi!" he chirped, flipping around and running down the road laughing.

"What? Oh that's not fair!" Naruto exclaimed, running after him. He made to grab the boy, but with a clap of his hands, Konohamaru became a naked girl who looked at him with big, innocent eyes.

Naruto froze, and crossed his arms, looking away. "Dammit…"

"It really is the ninja's weakness!" he exclaimed in a female, cutesy voice before turning back. "Even the great Naruto succumbs to it!"

"Well, we're only human," Naruto muttered, a little embarrassed that his own technique worked so well against him. "I should have never taught you that move…"

"Aw, but it's so much fun! I did it on Iruka once. You should've seen his face! It's like he's never seen a naked lady before," Konohamaru laughed.

"You know, I don't think he has," Naruto said truthfully, a little surprised. "It makes sense though. He's pretty shy. And you shouldn't even be thinking about that kinda stuff right now. Believe me; you've got a long way to go before you should even talk about seeing a naked girl."

They stopped at a crosswalk to let a cart pass them by. Konohamaru grinned. "Yeah, I guess so. Aw man, the sun's setting already? Grandpa and Iruka'll probably want me home."

"They are killjoys. Besides, I'm with you. You don't have to worry about any gangs," Naruto pointed out. "Come on, let's head over to my house and play some video games. I'll make you an FPS champion."

Konohamaru shook his head. "Sorry, maybe tomorrow. Oh wait…I wanna hang out with Moegi and see what she thinks of the gift." He grinned. "I can't wait!"

"You're drifting away from me, bud," Naruto sighed with mock sadness, patting his head. "You're growing up; I'm no longer cool enough."

"Well how about we go get ramen tomorrow and I tell you about it?"

"Why not. I guess you can pity me."

They laughed, and Konohamaru started walking off. "You know you're cool enough for anyone! I'll see ya tomorrow!"

"Can't wait to hear about it!" Naruto called back. He watched Konohamaru leave, the boy growing farther and farther away until he disappeared into the crowds of people leaving work or heading to dinner places. Smiling, he turned and headed back to his house.

The air started to cool, the winds picking up slightly. They tickled the blonde's cheeks as he walked, deep in thought.

Back when he was a kid, waking up each day was a burden. He'd get up, drink milk, eat ramen, and leave the house, only to be assailed with verbal insults on his way to meet up with a group of boys who basically used him to get away with stuff. He'd scoff at the Uchiha district and hate everyone with either good reason or no reason at all. He'd break things, vandalize, pickpocket, and shoplift, and would feel victimized when caught. At the end of the day, he'd go back home after being yelled at by Iruka and drink milk, eat ramen, and go to sleep.

Now, his days were so different. Well, the milk and ramen part hadn't changed, but when he went out into the village, people would smile and say hi to him. He'd be treated decently, and he could name so many people who cared about him. Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi, Tsunade, Hinata, Iruka, Konohamaru…it went from three nameless boys to a bunch of people; people who would fill up his future.

A few shinobi ran by him. "Hurry, move, move!" They yelled at people walking in their way

Naruto snapped out of his thoughts and looked at them with passing interest. He felt a little irritated at their behavior, but they were already out of sight before he could say anything.

To his surprise, more shinobi ran past him, all looking deadly serious. A few wore certain patches that he recognized as medic-nin IDs.

"Oh my god," a woman a few feet away from Naruto whispered to her companion, "some little boy collapsed in a crowd. He just stopped and started gasping for breath…"

Naruto's blood froze. Konohamaru's image flashed through his mind. He turned, and with a burst of chakra, took off back towards where he had said goodbye. A few people around him were knocked to the ground by the force of his chakra; he didn't care.

He couldn't hear anything as he ran. His blood pounded in his ears and tears stung his eyes. _Please be okay, _he begged. _Konohamaru, please be okay, god dammit!_

The scene appeared before him and he stopped, breathing heavily. A group of shinobi were circled around a boy, whom he immediately recognized with a guttural moan of anguish as Konohamaru. He moved towards the ninja; one of them stepped forward.

Without letting him speak, Naruto started pleading. "I'm a ninja too! Please, that's my friend!" Tears dripped down his face. "Please let me see him! Is he okay?! God dammit, please let him be okay!"

One of the medic-nins stopped moving around. His hand held onto Konohamaru's thin, white fingers gently, but firmly. He looked up at one of the standing shinobi somberly and let the boy's hand drop to the ground.

Naruto's expression went blank. He stared at the group of shinobi as they dissipated. The medic-nin taking care of the boy picked him up carefully, holding him close and keeping his face hidden from the bystanders watching curiously. He walked past Naruto, unsmiling.

He kept staring at the spot where Konohamaru had been lying, thinking.

"_I really want to be on a team when I get older," he said. "Me, Moegi, and Udon. Wouldn't that be the best?"_

"_I know they say I can't be on one, but when I get really good cuz of training they'll totally let me, I know it."_

"_Sorry, maybe tomorrow. Oh wait…I wanna hang out with Moegi and see what she thinks of the gift." He grinned. "I can't wait!"_

"_You know you're cool enough for anyone! I'll see ya tomorrow!"_

Tomorrow.

Naruto finally turned around to watch them carry him away.

The sun started to sink behind a house, far in the distance. The day was coming to a close. Naruto noticed that the stars were coming out, all across the powder-blue sky. He'd never realized how early they would creep up onto the earth's ceiling, just waiting to be illuminated by the darkening of the world and the moon's slow ascension.

It was a beautiful sight.

Konohamaru probably never noticed it either. Naruto knew that he'd have loved to see it. He missed it, though. And he wouldn't be able to see it tomorrow.

Never.

**XxXxXx**

There we go. This is my reward to myself for my hard work studying for finals, which I'm currently in the middle of. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. An emotional one, I'd say.

Have a great Christmas, and I'll see you all next update!


	19. The Turning World

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
Slight AU warning.  
Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!**

Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja trigger a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?

Note: _Italicized lines _often mean thoughts of a character or in some cases dreams. **Bolded lines **often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. _**Bolded italicized lines **_often mean flashbacks.

The Author Speaks: There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information will be limes/_possible _lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes.

Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except all the characters are two years older than before the time-skip in the series (13 is 15, 26 is 28, etc). Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire.

Definitions:  
"Veritas Jutsu" – my own little invention; "veritas" means "truth" in Latin. It's a high-ranked genjutsu that forces your mind to prevent the creation of false images and scenarios, and essentially makes you tell the truth

Songs:  
"Disenchanted" by My Chemical Romance  
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by The Beatles  
"Meant to Live" by Switchfoot  
"Let Go" by Frou Frou (for Shikamaru)

**Show Me a Hero**

_**Chapter 19 – The Turning World**_

Another grey morning. Too early for most people to think. That time of the year when mornings are rainy and the afternoons are sometimes sunny, but mostly not. Evenings were warm, but dark.

Everyone matched the sky. Monotone suits and dresses ruffled in the soft wind. They all walked down the road, chatting tiredly. Some cried. Others didn't appreciate getting up so early and were cranky. Others felt obligated to go. After all, it was the grandson of Lord Sarutobi.

Among the sea of monotone walked Naruto, blending in perfectly with a cheap black suit and grey tie. He hadn't gotten much sleep, and walked quietly with his hands in his front pockets. Sakura and Sasuke walked beside him, but he mostly paid attention to the ground.

He thought about seeing Konohamaru laying the street, unconscious. He remembered the medic-nin letting go of his hand. He saw it fall effortlessly to the ground. There was no life keeping that hand from going anywhere but down. Back to the earth where nature sprang forth.

The funeral was held outdoors, right in the graveyard. Lord Sarutobi didn't want to keep Konohamaru's body away from the earth for too long. He wanted the boy buried as soon as possible. He stood next to the open grave, looking down into it. His eleven year old grandson beat him to the grave. How disgusting the world could be.

The casket looked pretty well-made, with polished mahogany wood that turned two shades darker with each drop of rain. Iruka stood closest to it, crying.

Naruto broke from Sakura and Sasuke's company and walked over to him. Iruka regarded him with tear-filled eyes, and they hugged. Naruto, for some reason, couldn't work up the emotion to cry. He held Iruka, who bumbled on about how bright Konohamaru was and how he didn't deserve this. Naruto really didn't hear words. He didn't hear much of anything. He let go of Iruka and went back to his teammates, looking past them at nothing.

The service began. Naruto couldn't pay attention. He stared at the casket the entire time. Konohamaru lay in there, probably wearing the exact same thing that Naruto had seen him in when he was surrounded by shinobi, dying. Then again, Konohamaru had been dying his whole life.

Lord Sarutobi got up and spoke. The poor man could barely talk; every time he mentioned Konohamaru's name a fresh wave of tears hit him and he had to pause for five minutes. Naruto tried to listen to him, but failed.

He'd only been to one funeral before, when he was a baby. Iruka held him while everyone mourned the losses of the kyuubi war. So he didn't really know how it worked.

"—Naruto Uzumaki, who was a dear friend to my grandson, may want to say a few words." Lord Sarutobi looked over at him and stepped away from the casket.

Naruto remained in his spot, bewildered. Sakura nudged him, and he started walking. He was completely unprepared for this.

He stood where Lord Sarutobi had been, staring at everyone's faces on that dismal morning. He had hoped to duck out afterwards without anyone talking to him. He wanted to be alone. He would've snapped if more people expressed their sadness to him.

"Lord Sarutobi is right," Naruto began, trying to come up with something. "He…Konohamaru…was really close to me. Actually, I taught him some shinobi things. He could transform pretty well."

Everyone stared at him. Naruto remembered when he first met the boy. "You know, actually I met him that day the kyuubi took over."

Some people grimaced. This angered him. "Konohamaru, he-he didn't care. He wasn't afraid of me. He treated me like a person," the anger started to slip into his voice, "unlike all of you, who think I'm a monster. And yes," he pointed out the civilians, "I'm talking to you!"

Sasuke and Sakura exchanged surprised glances. Iruka opened his mouth to protest, but Naruto wouldn't have it. "Don't think about it, Iruka. You know I'm right. All of these people hate me. And they hate us shinobi. And I'll give them that; they have the right. Konohamaru had more spirit, more passion, more drive, than _every_ one of you. He was someone this world could've been proud of. You know, he talked about the future a lot. But his future never came. All of you, you talk about how horrible your lives are! Ever since the power plant shut down, Konoha got worse and worse. And the kyuubi war just sealed the deal. But that's not true anymore. You have people like me. Like Sakura Haruno. Like Sasuke Uchiha. Like Kakashi Hatake. Like Tsunade. And others who actually care about making a better future. Do you think I'm being egotistic? Well, I have something to be proud about. I'm proud that I can help Konoha get back on its feet. The shinobi force is the key to pouring prosperity and happiness back into this village, and I have the goddamn right to be proud of putting that into motion. I'm not smoke and mirrors."

All this while, Naruto's eyes had grown full of tears and dripped down his cheeks. "Konohamaru Sarutobi was a great kid. He could've been a great shinobi. I was so proud of him. I loved him so, so much." At this point, Naruto's voice quivered with each word, each teardrop. "But he…he was doomed from the start…but he didn't…he didn't give up…if that isn't strength, I don't know what is. Konohamaru saw me as his idol, but really, he should be an idol to all of you.

People of Konoha, have faith us shinobi. Someday, you will be happy to call this place your home. Someday, us shinobi will gather the shreds of our former chivalry and piece together Konohagakure's bright future. Shinobi of Konoha…look inside yourselves. Rediscover that talent, that ambition you lost in the kyuubi war. And bring back our village's happiness."

Naruto stepped off the podium and glanced at Konohamaru's casket. He walked over to the slippery wood and kissed the top. He then walked away from the funeral into the village, not looking back at the gathering.

He sat at Ichiraku Ramen, listening to the patter of rain against the decorative tarp. Teuchi had been at the funeral, but Ayame was behind the counter instead. He ordered a salty chicken and pork ramen. She asked for no money, knowing the day, and made it for him quickly. She might have expressed her condolences, but Naruto didn't listen. He ate slowly, sitting there for what might have been an hour, without thinking about much.

His desired loneliness was interrupted by two people sitting on either side of him. Sakura ordered a plain ramen while Sasuke got a barbeque pork ramen with added tomato slices. At first, they were silent, but then Sakura started talking about unimportant stuff: when she thought the next mission would come around, how her course was cancelled for tomorrow, and how she hoped the sun would shine. Sasuke would carry on the conversation after every few bites of ramen. Eventually, Naruto started contributing too, until they all had smiles on their faces.

They walked home together. Naruto cried again, and for this Sakura and Sasuke offered hands, hugs, and optimistic words. The rain slowed, but persisted.

Across the village, Moegi walked into her room, wanting to be left alone. She wiped her eyes, but the tears wouldn't stop. She sat on her bed, glancing out the window. A flowerpot of azaleas sat blocking the view of outside. She unlocked her window, opened it, and pulled the flowers inside, wondering if her mother left them there and forgot.

She noticed a note sticking up from the pot and took it to read.

_Moegi,_

_i hope you like the flowers. i've never bought a gift for someone, but i thought you'd like them…obviously, or i wouldn't buy them, lol. We're best friends, and i think we have a really good relationship. Udon's my best friend too, but it's different, because when you and me hang out i get really smilie and happy when i'm with you. i like you a lot, Moegi, and i just wanted to let you know that. i'll probably see you, really embarrassed because i'll be waiting for you to answer me. i think you're pretty, and i always look forward to seeing you. i wanna show you what Naruto taught me, cuz then you'll have a headstart before you go into the Academy. And maybe i can buy you a strawberry ice cream, i know it's your favorite flavor. Your 12 birthday is coming up, right? We'll have to do something. Maybe it can be a date? Sorry if i'm bad at writing stuff like this. But like i said before, i really like you and wonder if you like me back. Even if you don't, i would never want to lose a great friend like you._

_KONOHAMARU_

She sunk into her bed and lowered her head against a pillow, her little fingers shaking as she reread it. Every line brought forth a fresh wave of tears. She had no idea that he liked her. She had had a crush on him for a little while, but was afraid to act on it. The facts that she made him smile, that he remembered her birthday and favorite ice cream flavor made her weep even more. She lost such a wonderful friend. She'd have to go to school tomorrow, and thirty minutes away a gravestone sat dedicated to him. It rained on, a little harder than before.

**XxXxXx**

Three days passed since the funeral. The sun did come out for a few hours. Unfortunately, it grew tired of the melancholy village and went back into hiding, allowing the clouds to take over the skies.

Neji had nothing to do. The household had been scrubbed clean, and dinner wasn't for another hour. He didn't need to shower, and the television set offered nothing. He decided to mend some clothes, noticing that holes were frequenting Hinata's wardrobe. He took her laundry basket into the room with the sewing machine and emptied it onto the floor.

He found a tank top with a small hole and patched it up pretty easily. A few t-shirts had more holes in them which he fixed up nicely. He admired his work and folded them, moving them to the side.

A few pairs of panties fell from in between his next selection. Embarrassed, he turned his eyes, but curiosity won him over. He picked them up. Some were frilly, one was a thong. He tossed them aside, and tried to continue his work.

After a few minutes, the only thing on Neji's mind was those panties. He couldn't focus. He put down the shirt that he was working on and stared at where he'd thrown them.

"Hinata!" He didn't want to call her down—her presence drove him into even deeper melancholy—but he didn't want to handle her laundry anymore. He already felt guilty about so many things, and being attracted to her underwear wasn't something he wanted to deal with.

A scrambling noise. The sound of someone coming down the stairs. Hinata poked her head into the door. "Yeah?"

"Take your clothes, will you? I sewed up some holes in your shirts."

"Oh, thanks." She began gathering up her clothes, and noticed her panties on the floor. "You perv!" she joked, picking them up. "I'm sure _these _didn't have any holes in them."

Neji's expression darkened. "I know."

"Maybe you should get a girlfriend, if you have time to sew my clothes," Hinata joked further, smiling. She started stuffing clothes in her laundry basket.

Her smiles and nonchalant manner really pissed him off. "Maybe you should start doing something around the house for once and stop going out and fucking Kiba and living your life like someone without responsibility," he spat without thinking.

He might as well have gotten up and slugged her across the face; she looked horrified and hurt. For some reason, this made him smile a little. "W-What are you saying?" she stammered.

"You're telling me to get a girlfriend? I don't have fucking time for a girlfriend. I have to take care of the house that our family abandoned. I have to make sure this place doesn't fall apart. I have to keep all three of us fed. I need to make sure Hanabi grows up to be a good kid and doesn't fall victim to all the bad shit stewing in Konoha. The last time I left the house was to attend a funeral. Naruto's pretty optimistic, but it's never going to happen. Everyone is so goddamn selfish and stupid, it overwhelms the good people. I'd like to think I'm a good person. But you, you are one of those stupid selfish people that drags me down!"

Neji had gotten up at this point and advanced on Hinata, who cowered away from him. "I-I'm not stupid, I'm not trying to drag you down, Neji—"

"Shut the fuck up! You're full of it! Every day you go out and with Kiba, who treats you like shit and you don't care! And me, who makes sure you have a good house to come back to, you don't give me a fucking break! Why do you think I hate seeing your face? Because I'm reminded of a person who's so absorbed in the unnecessary, stupid things in life and has no priorities! Honestly, what's been happening with your career, huh? You haven't made this household a ryo since you went on that boat. Fuck, _you_ didn't do anything on that boat! The best time of my life was when I got to be with Lee, Kozujiro, and Guy-sensei. I loved going on missions. I loved it so much…and then I had to quit! Lee and Guy left and I haven't seen Kozujiro in years. He could've lived with us, but I couldn't afford it. I don't even know if he's alive anymore!" Neji turned around, flailing his arms, trying to hide tears before he whipped around again. "You don't fucking get it! You have something I will never get back, and you don't even care! You don't do shit, you hear me? You might as well have died on that boat!"

Hinata started crying partway through his rant, and by the end she had collapsed to the ground, bawling. "How could you say that to me? What the hell is wrong with you, Neji? I-I'm not useless! I just don't like fighting, that's all!"

"Of course you don't! You're a spoiled bitch! Raised in a family of ninja and a fucking little spoiled princess; disgraceful. And if you don't like it, then at least get a job! Bring some money into this house!" Neji screamed.

Hinata whimpered. "I'm sorry, Neji! I'm s-sorry! Please stop yelling at me!"

"DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE SORRY! ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!" He was shaking uncontrollably. He grabbed her shirt and pulled her into him. He planned on throwing her back, but her neck caught his eye. He noticed a dark purple, fairly recent hickey mottling her otherwise flawless pale skin. Her skin always looked soft to the touch. His eyes trailed down her collarbone to the very peak of her sizeable breasts, exposed slightly by her v-neck shirt. He felt blood rush down his body.

Wailing in disgust, he finally threw her away. She hit the wall painfully and slid down, sniffling. "N-Neji…"

"SHUT UP! DON'T…DON'T COME NEAR ME!" Neji couldn't look at her anymore. With a cry of anguish, he ran from the room, out of the house, and into the heart of Konoha. And all too miserable, too dangerous, to realize the chains he just broke.

**XxXxXx**

Shikamaru's eyes fluttered open. He felt incredibly heavy; moving from the dirty ground made his muscles shake. He couldn't lift his head; groping ahead to find some brace to stand up, his fingers touched cold metal. His thoughts were jumbled, his mind unaware of anything around him.

He finally managed to stand, coughing. He rubbed the back of his head unconsciously, and was surprised to feel blood. It coated his palm. He suddenly realized how much pain he was in.

"What the fuck?"

Shikamaru looked up, and saw that he was in a cold, stone cell. More alarmingly, the cell bars were lit orange by some strange energy.

Earlier, he had been sitting at home to avoid a funeral. He had been watching some popular Western movie. A few minutes after the end credits, he remembered going up to use the bathroom. Then…nothing.

"What the…fuck…" he grasped the bars. "What the fuck is going on? Where am I?" Had he been arrested? He didn't remember doing anything illegal.

Shikamaru head murmuring down the hall. It grew closer, and soon two men were standing in front of his cell. They wore Konoha emblems, but he didn't recognize either of them.

"Hey kid," one of them said, making sure not to be too close to the bars. "Sorry about this. We're close to getting some information out of them, but it's not going so well. The bars deplete your chakra. We've gotta keep face. They don't know we've got you in there, so they still trust you."

A confused look spread across the boy's face. For some reason, he felt like he had to look at the man in the eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"You know, the foreigners from Suna you've been following. We'll find out what they're planning. Guys like them can't be trusted," the other man affirmed, nodding.

Did these freaks think he was part of some undercover mission? Shikamaru couldn't care less about any plans. He remained stupefied as he replied. "I don't know what the fuck you're talking about. I don't do missions. I don't give a shit. I just sit around and watch TV. The only reason I've even talked to those fucks is because the blonde bitch bothered me. Do what you want with them; I could give a shit, but I haven't been working for anybody. You must have been _really_ fucking misinformed." He didn't have time for this. He just wanted to get out of there and back to a comfy couch and some food. Also, he really could use a painkiller.

The two exchanged looks; Shikamaru couldn't tell if they were humbled or horrified. They murmured something to the effect of "stay here", and walked off.

"Wait! Come on, what the FUCK!" he yelled. When they didn't turn around, he sunk back, feeling his head. "Goddammit…"

**XxXxXx**

Kankuro sat in his own cell in another part of the abandoned building. He heard the door open and he looked out to the two bastards who nearly smashed his skull open.

"What did he say?" the puppet master said, almost grinning. "Let me guess—he talked about television, swore a lot, and knew nothing. I don't know why the fuck you—"

"Shut up!" one of them barked. "We don't appreciate your lip, boy. The Kazekage is very upset with your performance. Allowing yourself to be so exposed to an enemy shinobi; even worse, selling our secret to him!"

Kankuro's smile slipped off his face, replaced with a horrified look. "W-What are you talking about? We didn't say anything to him. He's just a loser! Did you even Veritas Jutsu him?

"Of course I did! He completely bought our story. Once he saw our headbands, he spilled all of your mission details to us. If we hadn't just been undercover agents, we would have been compromised!"

"No! No, there's no way he could know anything! That's impossible!" Kankuro stood up. He had started to sweat, his heart pounding. Was that kid just playing them the whole time? Did he sneak into their room and find something suspicious? Did…did Temari sell them out? She was a lot more interested in him than she should have been.

"The Kazekage has already informed us what we're to do with you and your siblings." One sneered. "You really should have cherished your life more, instead of choosing rebellion."

Kankuro's eyes widened. He almost couldn't speak. "W-What…no…please…don't…he doesn't understand…it's a lie…we didn't…" he slumped to the ground.

The men turned around and left. While they walked, Kankuro scrambled up and grabbed the bars, tears falling from his eyes. "NO! PLEASE! PLEASE!"

**XxXxXx**

Shikamaru stared at the wall across from his cell, pissed off. _When the fuck can I get out of here, _he thought.

**XxXxXx**

Kiba crawled up to his room, crying. Tsume had been gone for ten minutes, but he was too afraid to move. He thought she had some bit of tenderness inside her, after the way she defended him from Kurenai's ranting. But no, he was wrong. She couldn't care less. He accidentally hurt one of Haimaru triplets while training. Hana started yelling at him, and Tsume grew angry.

He thought of Naruto's words at the funeral. Kiba wasn't like those dumb shinobi. He was getting stronger. He tried to plead with his mother, citing his growing strength, but she still pelted him with insults amongst the blows. Pushing her away caused her to nearly break his leg. She stormed off. Hana just watched him. She meekly asked if he needed help, but he screamed at her and she left too.

Kiba threw open the door to his room, very angry and upset. He wiped the tears from his face, screaming because no one was home and all he wanted to do was destroy everything he saw. He ripped posters off the wall. He threw his phone across the room. He screamed and kicked everything on the floor out of his way: pillows, clothes, everything.

A pillow made a pained yelping sound, and he fell back to earth from his anger. Kiba looked to where he kicked the pillow.

Akamaru had hit the closet door and sank to the ground, having been kicked in the stomach. He was shaking, making pathetic, pained noises. A purple bruise peeked out behind his white fur.

When Kiba saw this, he immediately dropped to the ground and crawled over to him. "O-Oh my god…Akamaru, I'm so sorry."

He reached out to pet the dog. Akamaru bared his teeth and snapped at Kiba's hand.

"What? A-Akamaru, please don't be like that, I'm so sorry," Kiba crooned, physically disturbed. The little dog never bit at him before.

Akamaru slowly stood up, whining in pain as he did so. He growled and snapped again at Kiba. When the boy tried to move towards him, the dog barked and darted past him, running down the stairs with little yowls of pain.

Kiba scrambled up and ran after him. "Wait! Akamaru! I'm sorry!" he called as he followed the dog down the stairs and out the back door. A second after Akamaru jumped through the doggy door, Kiba threw the whole thing open and watched Akamaru run towards town, miles ahead of him. "PLEASE COME BACK!"

He slammed the door and dashed towards town, starting to cry again.

**XxXxXx**

The walls seemed to sweat, like they were covered with some sleek oil dripping from the roof. It disgusted Shikamaru, but there was little he could do. He chose to lean his forward and stare down at the cold, dirty floor instead. He shrugged off his jacket, feeling hot, and wiggled his shoes around for entertainment.

_At least if they're gonna keep me in here, they could have at least instilled a TV._

Really, he didn't know what to think. Obviously they had confused him with someone else, and would apologize, tell him never to divulge the information, and throw him out. Either that or they'd forget about him in here, the barrier would falter, and he'd break out.

_Wait. _He lifted his head._ Why'd it get so hot in here?_

Smoke unfurled its choking grasp onto the outside hall, soon covering every corner of the room. Shikamaru put his jacket over his nose and mouth, but some of the smoke had already filled his lungs. He started coughing heavily, accidentally falling against the jutsu-covered bars. He screamed from the shock, dropping the jacket. It fluttered through the bars. As soon as it hit the ground, it burst into flames.

Shikamaru watched in horror as his jacket curled up from the heat and smoldered in the hall. It triggered a chain reaction, and a small explosion shook the other side of the hall, setting the whole area on fire. The flames burned a scarlet red.

_Juiced-up fire? What the fuck is going on?_

He sat back down on his bench, trying to collect himself. There was only one explanation he deduced from countless thoughts. Those ninja were not who they said they were, and were not expecting him to answer the way he did. Now, they wanted to destroy the evidence.

_If only they knew I didn't care,_ he thought, starting to sweat.

The flames licked the bars. He hoped they would soften the bars and he could get out of there. The ground was started to glow from the heat it accumulated. Shikamaru looked back out at the hall.

A sea of flames and falling debris awaited him. His seat suddenly became too hot to sit on. He jumped up, and with a running kick went after the white-hot bars. His foot connected and his shoes began to melt. He screamed, stumbled, and fell back. Though the bars crumbled, the flames now had even less to impede their progress. They began to invade his cell, outlining every corner with perfect lines of scarlet.

Shikamaru's mind reeled. Whenever he wanted to think about something, he'd be able to map out the thought process clearly and effectively, coming up with the right ideas in a short time. He outlined the hall, his cell, his own capabilities, the flames, the debris, and the smoke in his mind, mapping an escape plan.

There was none.

Shikamaru's back hit the wall, mercifully the only part of the cell not yet hot enough to burn him. An absolutely horrible, familiar pain seared his chest as he sunk to the ground.

The floor shone a bright red, and it traveled towards him like a river of neon-colored blood. Heat licked every bit of his skin, growing worse by the second. He looked up at the ceiling. The foundation had started to weaken, and he watched the stone slowly transform into gravel.

At that moment, he truly knew that he was going to die.

Shikamaru didn't care about life. Every living soul that surrounded him was a waste of space, a vessel of flesh, blood, and evil. Their smiles all hid deeper hurt. Humans didn't want to connect. They just wanted safety. Why were people born with emotions? Trees don't need them to live. People were better off without faces.

A tear dripped down his cheek.

_S-So what if I die? No one would care. No one cares. I-I don't even care. I'll just burn and disappear. The world will go on. I'm not that important. I mean, why do people struggle like their lives mean anything? One little mistake and we're ruined. If no one had made this world so fucking complicated, maybe people could be decent. We're not. I'm just another person, right? I'll die. Who-who really cares…_

The ceiling caved in. Shikamaru screamed, feeling the white-hot gravel pour on top of him, hitting him like a bag of bricks and trapping him in the fiery prison. He burst into tears.

"NO!" he thundered, clawing the ground in front of him. His fingers sizzled and burned in the dirt. "PLEASE, PLEASE I DON'T WANT TO DIE! PLEASE SOMEONE, HELP ME! I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY!"

Smoke thickened the air, pouring into his throat with each miserable scream thrown from his vocal chords. His lungs felt burdened and each cry became weaker, more choked, until he couldn't speak anymore. The pain from the smoke and misery blurred his eyes with heavy, hot tears, until he couldn't see anything either.

Writhing blind and dumb on the floor, Shikamaru retreated into the blackness of his mind. He thought of the past four years and all the time he wasted alienating everyone. He wasn't supposed to care about anything, but all he wanted now was to grab hold of his life and hang on, past the flames and the pain, and see the world once again.

Was the world really that ugly? What about all the times before the incident? He remembered laughing and smiling. Lazy as usual, but he felt worthy of the body he inhabited.

Ino's mistake…it seemed so different to him now. The image of a twisted succubus changed back into her eleven year-old self. She was a stupid, confused child…they had tried to be adults, do adult things way too early in life, and it cost her her innocence, her sense of right and wrong. She had destroyed two people that night, and Shikamaru hadn't seen it. He should have been there and help each other get through it, but he left. He, her devil on the shoulder, abandoned the one who needed him…

Chouji sat just as young next to the kid Ino. He sacrificed the best-tasting chips just for Shikamaru and always offered a bright smile and something to talk about. The boy's shyness melted away just from being near him. No one besides Ino could give him better company. The four years after the incident slowly detached him from Chouji, not noticing his friend's loyalty even when Shikamaru had degraded into a listless bully. And when Chouji decided to stand up for himself, he brushed him off to be as bad as Ino. He left his friend feeling like the useless one, abandoning someone who needed help…

A woman laid face down, blood leaking from her head. Shikamaru screamed, but his throat made no noise, as it was constricted by the smoke and out of air. Instead, he started gasping for breath while he fell back into his head.

Of all his victims, she had suffered the most. She carried a tired smile around like the weight was almost too much to bear, and often it fell into a frown of disapproval or just plain unhappiness. She, who had married a loser because she had gotten pregnant by him; she, who managed to carry the farm through a war and her husband's drunken fits; she, who wanted Shikamaru to be the man that his father never was. Those smiles only appeared when her little boy was around, until the day they stopped and she saw a repeat of Shikaku. She had failed her son.

No. He had warped her into a weak woman who would do anything to stop the fighting, when she, with her perseverance and high expectations, was actually the strongest of them all.

Her son had failed _her._

_Mom…_

She lay in the hospital this whole time, accepting that her son would never visit her.

_MOM! _Shikamaru wept, collapsing from the lack of oxygen, the blackness starting to deepen. _MOM! I'M SO SORRY! PLEASE…I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I DON'T WANT YOU TO THINK I HATE YOU…NO…NO! PLEAse…Mom…I'm such a stupid fuck...I love you...all of you…I...I'm…I'm sorry…_

The figures in his mind disappeared. He floated away, traveling through a sea of dark for what seemed like an eternity. He didn't feel himself breathing, or feeling. The sound around him started to fade. The last thing he heard was a small explosion at the front of the cell, and his final heartbeat.

A hand grabbed his burned, outstretched one, and heaved him out of the rubble. Sound once again exploded in Shikamaru's ears. He heard the cussing of a woman, and felt the soft fabric of her clothing against his charred stomach. A gust of wind nipped his ear. They were moving.

The intense heat gradually changed into cool air, and the cacophony of the collapsing building changed into chirping crickets. An inky blue spilled over the black canvas infesting his vision.

"You went back in there to save _him_? He's the reason I almost died!" he heard a severely pissed-off voice hiss.

"Oh, bullshit. There's something wrong with this whole situation, I know it. Why else would they try to kill him too?" the female voice snapped back.

A loud boom sounded off. The building must have collapsed, but he couldn't make out a blade of glass beyond the blue filling up his mind.

"You still shouldn't get yourself killed for this loser. Remember how he treated us!" the owner of the voice was pacing back and forth.

"I don't care about that right now. I'm taking him to a hospital. Don't give me that look; I'll just say we were camping and there must have been a freak oil spill that he got caught in. We can talk to him after he's not half-dead."

"Well, if he croaks in the hospital, we're shit outta luck on his side of things."

They were moving again. He could barely move his lips. He suspected they may have melted together, but he felt too unconscious to feel any pain. He tried to talk.

"T-T-Tmri…" he stumbled through the letters, shaking on her back.

"What?" she asked in the gentlest voice, noticeably surprised he could even be aware in his state.

"Tnk…y…"

Though he didn't feel any of it, the pain must have been too much for his body to bear, because he fainted right after speaking.

Temari sighed, seeing the hospital ahead. _That's the nicest you've probably been to anyone in a long time, _she thought._ I hope…I hope it's not your last time, either._

**XxXxXx**

Emotionally-charged chapter, wouldn't you say?

Anyway, I'm back! It's been a while but I'm delivering the goods, albeit slowly. A really great review inspired me to finish this chapter. See, good feedback really gets my writing blood pumping. So does some nice atmospheric music. And free time. But I digress.

One of the great things about summer is that you can try new things because you really aren't committed to much, unless you have a job or summer homework. As I had just finished my freshman year in college, I had to read a lot of books for the classroom. I actually really enjoyed them, and that put me back into the habit of reading. I read three books for pleasure in about a month. That's more books for pleasure I had read in three years! Wahoo!

Back onto the subject of this fic…this chapter was mostly character development with some plot slipping in. The next couple of chapters will have even more and more plot, so be prepared. I hope I gave you a good read this chapter.


	20. Thicker than Water

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
Slight AU warning.  
Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!**

Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja trigger a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?

Note: _Italicized lines _often mean thoughts of a character or in some cases dreams. **Bolded lines **often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. _**Bolded italicized lines **_often mean flashbacks.

The Author Speaks: There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information will be limes/_possible _lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes.

Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except all the characters are two years older than before the time-skip in the series (13 is 15, 26 is 28, etc). Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire.

Definitions:  
none

Songs:  
"Black Bird" by The Beatles (for Shikamaru)  
"Face Down" by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (for Hinata and Kiba)  
"Somewhere I Belong" by Linkin Park (for Neji)  
"Breaking the Habit" by Linkin Park  
"I Am Not a Robot" by Marina and the Diamonds  
"It's Not Over" by Daughtry

**Show Me a Hero**

_**Chapter 20 – Thicker Than Water**_

Shikamaru opened his eyes, feeling like weights had been stapled to them. The light shone brightly.

_Am I in heaven? _

"Heaven" turned into a hospital room, and the light dulled to a soft glow on the ceiling. His room stood with the bare furnishings to make the space seem less gloomy. A faint smell of medicine perfumed his bedside.

Sitting up, Shikamaru felt how lightheaded and hot he was. His head fell back onto the pillow. His I.V. scooted around as he moved.

After about ten minutes of silence, he was coherent enough to realize he had a body. Shikamaru looked down at his hands. They were deep red – upon opening up his hospital gown, most of his body was.

Rain pattered lightly against his hospital window. He turned and looked outside at the pavement-colored outside. People hustled by, living their quiet and unfulfilled Konoha lives. A pair of teens walked by, rap music blasting from shared headphones. A mechanic sauntered toward a small red house across the way. A ninja stood near a rice ball cart, preventing the line from getting too chaotic. At the front of the line, a little girl gawked at the ninja, as if she'd never seen one before. Her mother smiled at the ninja and pointed out the different types of rice balls to her mesmerized daughter.

_Mother…_

Resolve welled inside of Shikamaru, and he jumped off his bed. Pain shot through his entire body as his burned flesh endured being moved. He yanked the I.V. towards him and slowly left the room. His red fingers touching the handle nearly made him scream, but he gritted his teeth and left the room.

Having just woken up, Shikamaru had no idea just how different his room was from the rest of the hospital. The cold air of the hall pierced his flesh like daggers. His eyes watered; coughing and whimpering, he continued down the hall. He didn't know how, or why, but he just _knew_ where she was. In actuality, the shinobi who arrested his father told him where they were moving her, but he didn't remember that. He just moved.

A nurse-in-training called softly out to him, but he ignored her as he neared the room. Feeling nothing but the need to see her, he didn't flinch when he threw open the door and stumbled in, his breathing raspy.

The light was dimmer in her room. Some flowers, most likely from Inoichi, made the atmosphere warmer.

Yoshino Nara turned to face her son. A fresh bandage was wrapped around her head. Her pale face shone with sweat; her thin lips were drawn in surprise. She looked so small.

She had always been small, and weak, but there was something new about her. Her eyes, though tired, displayed a kindness and perseverance that he had never imagined them having. She didn't look like a frail woman in a hospital bed. She looked like his mother.

Shikamaru started crying, startling Yoshino even more. She hadn't seen an ounce of emotion from Shikamaru in years. She was always used to his uninterested, unattached expression. As if his soul had died.

"Mother…" he rasped.

Or that was what Shikamaru had tried to say. Instead, he uttered a breathy noise with no distinct sounds. His eyes widened.

"Mother, I…I love you…I'm so sorry…"

Nothing came out. The heartfelt, agonizing paragraphs of apology and love he wanted to spill from his lips refused to leave him. Attempting to raise the volume caused him to start coughing heavily. He doubled over, tears streaming down his face. The salt terrorized his wounds, but even though he now wanted to scream, he couldn't. He couldn't tell her how much he loved her. He was being punished.

He collapsed against her bed, laying his head on her blanket.

Her hand fluttered over to his head, resting on his hair. She smiled when he looked up, surprised, trying to force words from his broken throat.

"It's been…such a long time since I saw you like this," she said in the gentlest voice. "Five years ago, you were cleaning a deer's stable when it got agitated and kicked you in the stomach. I heard you crying all the way from the house. I dropped everything I was doing and ran out to find you…I was so happy you were okay.

I don't know what happened to our family. I knew someday that your father would lose himself completely to alcohol—and the war confirmed it. Even when our love for each other disappeared, I still always cherished you. You made me so happy…" she trailed off, taking his hand and squeezing it. She too started to cry. "What happened? Why did you suddenly shut yourself off? First it was your friends, then us. I couldn't understand what I had done to make my baby hate me. But whatever it was, I'm happy that you're back…that my son is back…"

Shikamaru merely stared up at her, silent, tearing himself apart that he couldn't respond. She put the blame on herself, but it wasn't her fault. He so desperately wanted to speak.

A few nurses rushed in. One breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Shikamaru. "Ah, Mrs. Nara…getting a visit from your son I see."

Yoshino smiled; it was so bright and happy that it almost made Shikamaru burst into tears again. He didn't deserve something like that. "Yes! I'm glad to know that he's okay too. Let me guess; he's not actually supposed to be in here."

A nurse chuckled. "No, we actually need to take him back so we can prep him for surgery. His voice box, if you can't tell already, is quite damaged. His burns made it too dangerous to operate immediately, but we're going to try what we can."

Shikamaru stood up, eager. Anything that could help him speak. He didn't want to be silenced; now he knew how important words were.

**XxXxXx**

"So…I'm getting hungry."

Hanabi fidgeted in the quiet living room, not really being able to focus on her homework. Hinata sat on the couch a few feet away, looking lost in thought. She hadn't heard her sister.

"Hinata?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm hungry."

Hinata smiled, though it was obviously forced. She didn't know how to cook. Usually, Neji did all the cooking. "Well, I'll see if I can come up with something." She stood up and headed to the kitchen, completely unprepared.

When they were kids, she and Neji got along fine. They wrestled and played all day, until they got yelled at for getting their clothes muddy. When they grew up, they distanced a little, but still were fond of each other. She enjoyed sitting with his team, listening to them talk about missions. Though she was afraid of fighting, she thought she'd be fine if Neji helped her out.

When the Hyuuga clan fell apart, so did their relationship. Originally, they still talked; Neji was just more busy than usual, trying to support what he could of the household by going on many missions. Hinata attended the academy, and Hanabi went to school. Usually, they wouldn't see Neji for days. As time went on, she overheard him fight with his teammates; sometimes he'd even snap at his sensei.

The day his team disbanded, Neji completely stopped trying to keep their relationship strong. He became so tyrannical that she ran out of the house, in tears, one night. Wandering around the alleys, she met Kiba, who looked as distressed as her. A lapse of judgment followed, and she lost her virginity to him that night. She enjoyed being with someone as lonely and upset as her, but after he started beating her, she stopped wanting him. She liked Naruto, because he smiled often and always seemed happy. Neji used to be like that. Soon, she lost interest in being a ninja—she couldn't bear to ask Neji to help her. It would be like throwing his loss in his face. She thought that when he did the housework, he was happier because he had something to do. She didn't want to get in his way. But he wasn't happy anymore. Nothing made him happy. She didn't know what to do.

Neji spelled it out quite well before he left the house – she was useless. She always deferred to ignorance, but now she realized her ignorance came from a fear of knowing the truth: that in some way, _she _made him unhappy. Now here she was, a useless young woman who didn't even know what to make for her little sister. Hanabi felt so far away, also. She was young, but soon, she'd get to the age where her innocence would be traded for the cruel knowledge that her family abandoned her, and Neji remained as the sole provider who supported her and her useless older sister.

Not even Naruto's speech had given Neji hope. Someday, Hanabi would feel just as hopeless.

Hinata's eyes grew wet. She pursed her lips, and pulled out a fruit cup. How would she mend this? Could that be possible?

Hanabi's cry in the next room shook her thoughts. A much deeper voice followed; the sobbing and swearing sounded familiar. Hinata set down the cup and ran into the other room, the hairs on the back of her neck bristling.

Kiba stood in the living room, a wreck of a person. His sobbing resonated throughout the room. His eyes were puffy, with malice and desperation glistening in the black irises. With his coat fully zipped and his teeth bared, he looked like a hungry wolf.

"Aka-…A…Akam….RAGGHHHH!" he roared, and sent an empty bookshelf nearly across the room. Hanabi screamed and started crying, shaking.

"K-Kiba," Hinata said meekly, also shaking, "w-w-w-what's wrong?"

"AKAMARU'S MISSING!" he bawled, chest heaving. He jerked around; a walking tantrum, it felt as if he were ripping apart the air around him. "I HURT HIM! I-I DIDN'T MEAN TO! WHAT THE FUCK'S WRONG WITH ME HINATA? FUCK! AKAMARU! Y-Y-YOU…I NEED HIM BACK!"

Hanabi inched backwards. She'd never seen the extent of Kiba's anger before. Her lips trembled.

Hinata almost felt the old bruises reappear from the sheer volume of his screams. She held out her hands. "Kiba." She spoke softly, knowing that would help quell the beast. "I k-know you didn't. He'll come back…"

"OH, WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW!" Kiba lurched forward and grabbed her, his fingernails pressing through her sweater and cutting her. She winced, and Hanabi yelped again, cowering behind the table. "YOU DON'T FUCKING KNOW ANYTHING! HE COULD BE DEAD! I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT HIM! HE DIDN'T DESERVE THAT! DON'T FUCKING TELL ME HE'LL COME BACK, YOU BITCH!"

Hanabi started crying from the insult of her sister. Hinata knew more noise wouldn't calm Kiba down, but she was too terrified to move.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH! DON'T TELL ME SHIT! YOU KNOW SHIT! YOU'D _BETTER _FUCKING HELP ME OR I'LL RIP YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF!"

Hanabi's crying turned into full-out wailing. She curled up into a ball and buried her face in her knees, too young to comprehend his hyperboles. "DON'T KILL SISSY!"

Hinata almost flushed, surprised. Hanabi hadn't called her by that nickname in years.

Kiba threw Hinata aside. "YOU FUCKING TALKING TO ME, KID?" He started walking towards the table, which would prove a futile defense for Hanabi against Kiba's fury. He overturned it with ease, growling. "YOU WANT ME TO RIP YOUR FACE OFF FIRST, BRAT?"

Hinata watched Kiba advance on Hanabi. She gasped, grabbing his shirt and pulling him back. "No, don't—"

He seized her hand and nearly twisted it. She whimpered, causing Hanabi to cry harder. "_What was that_?" he hissed, and slapped her across the face.

Her head snapped back as she cried out in pain. Kiba's face was twisted; livid with anger. The pain throbbed in her cheek; Hanabi's sobs echoed through her mind. She slowly turned her eyes back towards her assailant, and as their eyes met, Hinata's fear disappeared. Her Byakugan activated; she wrenched her hand from Kiba's grasp, not caring as his claws left scratches on her arm, and punched him across the face.

Completely unprepared for her assault, Kiba yelped and fell back, clutching his face.

"I'm SICK of you!" she screamed, shaking still, but full of courage. "It's one thing when you threaten to beat me up, but my little sister? You don't fucking talk to her like that!"

Kiba stared up at her, looking like a traumatized puppy. She knew it came from his shellshock; usually, she'd sympathize, but she wasn't in the mood now.

"Don't come into my house, expecting me to help you find your fucking dog, and then threaten me! I'm NOT SCARED OF YOU ANYMORE! You're just another insecure shit who feels sorry for himself! What do you want me to do, huh? I can't make your mom stop hurting you! I really wish she wouldn't, but you're not going to make it stop by hurting ME instead! What does this do for you? Huh? You know what, don't even talk. I can answer that. It makes you feel powerful. Well, good fucking job, Kiba Inuzuka! Nothing shows how strong you are better than beating up a stupid bitch like me! Round of FUCKING APPLAUSE!

Your punches, your yelling…it doesn't hurt me anymore. I'm not gonna let it. I've been so wrapped up in feeling sorry for us that I forgot about something much more important. Just because your family is broken doesn't mean mine has to be. Neji was right, I am useless. But I don't want to be anymore. I don't want to be your punching bag, or Neji's ball and chain. Go find Akamaru yourself."

"…But…"

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE AND FIND HIM YOURSELF! IF YOU WEREN'T SUCH A BULLY, HE WOULDN'T BE GONE! SO DON'T FUCKING BOTHER ME!"

When Kiba didn't budge, Hinata grabbed his hood and forced him up. "Get _out._ I need to find someone too." She pulled the boy to the door and tossed him onto the pavement; she left him, stunned, out in the street, and slammed the door.

Hinata turned to Hanabi. The little girl sat, teary-eyed, behind the table, trembling. She walked over to her and embraced her tightly, also teary. "Hanabi, I love you so much. I'm never going to let anyone hurt you."

Her sister's skinny arms wrapped around her; she cried into her chest. "H-H-Hinata, I thought h-h-h-h-h-he was gonna k-kill you…"

"No, no one's going to kill me," she assured gently, rocking her back and forth. They sat that way for about ten minutes, exchanging whispers of love and comfort.

Eventually, Hinata let go of her and stood up. "Let's go."

"Are we gonna find Neji?" Hanabi asked, wiping her eyes.

"Yup. I think I know where he is." Hinata took her hand, and squeezed it. "Don't worry. I'll take care of you too from now on."

**XxXxXx**

_That stupid little bitch, how could she throw me away like that?_

Kiba was walking back to his house, hoping that Akamaru had decided to come back. He imagined the poor little dog limping around the street, watching with frightened eyes the street punks bumming around in the alleys.

_I'm one of those punks. He never saw me like that though. Not until now…god did I fuck up._

The whiskery teen had to hold onto his arm to prevent him from shaking too much. He still felt the burn from Hinata's punch. It felt surreal. He had felt the power surging through her fist; it vaguely reminded him of a cross between one of the ninjas on the boat and his mother. It scared the shit out of him. He never thought Hinata had it in her to be so strong…he didn't know he was dealing with another monster.

_No…a monster? But, she's always been so beautiful and sweet. I always liked how nice she was to me, how she did what I wanted. But she's just another bitch, isn't she. Yeah. I wonder if she'll go crying to Naruto or something. Fuck._

He crossed the line onto his property. Akamaru was nowhere to be found, but he saw Kuromaru lying peacefully on the porch, his massive body blocking the door. His lone ear twitched, sensing Kiba. He lifted up his head. "You're home." His deep voice rang across the lawn.

Kiba cringed. "Is mom here?"

"She's down by the river. Why, did you want to talk to her?"

"NO!" he screamed, pausing immediately after. Kuromaru merely watched him with his one eye. "I mean…no. I'm not in the mood to talk to that fucking bitch."

"That's quite rude. She's your mother."

"She's not my mom! She's a fucking tyrant whore who seems to live for the purpose of making my life fucking suck! If she hadn't almost broken my bones, Akamaru would still be here and Hinata would still be my girlfriend and…oh, what the fuck am I talking to you for? You're just her eye and ear." Kiba sat on the grass, listening closely so he could bolt when he heard his mom approaching.

"I don't tell her anything you do," Kuromaru replied calmly. "I did notice Akamaru was gone. You broke up with Hinata?"

"She attacked me, Kuromaru, _attacked _me. Punched me right in the fucking face. I wasn't actually gonna hurt Hanabi, she was just being loud, and I needed help. No one was helping me!"

"Were you in a rage?"

"…" Kiba didn't reply, growing red.

"Ah." Kuromaru adjusted himself on the porch. "Then you would have hurt Hanabi, even if your rational mind wouldn't have. I'm glad that Hinata put you in your place."

"PUT ME IN MY PLACE? I just wanted to find Akamaru! A girlfriend's supposed to help her boyfriend once in a while!" Kiba roared.

"Perhaps that is true, but she had no obligation to help out a boyfriend who abused his dog into running away. She probably could relate to Akamaru." Kuromaru's yellow eye pierced into Kiba's. "I can smell your fear and her anger all over you. You're a very weak-willed boy, Kiba. I admire your training efforts, but you've done nothing to train your mind."

"What the fuck do I have to train my mind for?"

"You act tough, but you don't understand how the world works. You have to take responsibility for your actions. You may be a vindictive, raging young man, but you have to know that the world doesn't take kindly to people like that. Even here in Konoha. You can see what has happened. People lost confidence, but instead of continuing their self-government, they blamed the ninjas, but also expected too much from them. What is it you humans say? Ah. 'You can't have your cake and eat it, too'."

Kiba rolled his eyes and stood up. "Yeah well, nice guys don't get anywhere either."

"What about that Team 7? They seem to be quite nice, and their goodness is affecting many people. I wouldn't be surprised if Hinata found the courage to stand up to you, partly because of them." The dog scratched his nose and stood up, slowly trotting towards Kiba. "Or how about your father? He was a very nice man."

Kiba growled. "Yeah, I heard he was. But my mom fucking brought him down. That's probably why he killed himself. That bitch. I could've had such a great dad. I've stopped bringing him up. It just pisses her off, and she calls him a coward and beats the shit outta me. I don't even know what he even saw in her!" He stood up, thinking of Akamaru. "I shouldn't have hit him. I'll apologize and never do it again. I shouldn't be like mom. But I get so angry…fuck…maybe I'm just like her."

As Kiba started to walk away, Kuromaru walked after him. "Please stay here. I have to tell you something." Gone was the usual calm inflection in the dog's voice. Now he seemed somewhat sad.

"I'm going to look for Akamaru. I don't want him to get hurt by more punks." Hands in his pockets, Kiba walked onto the path and away from the house, away from all the pain and anger. His heart still burned with anger for Hinata and his mother. He even was starting to hate his sister, when Kuromaru's next words made him freeze.

"I'm the reason your mother is the way that she is."

A pang of worry ran through Kiba's body; he turned around, staring at the old dog. "What?"

"You've grown up assuming your mother is naturally like that. But she's not. I had hoped you wouldn't be affected by her rage, like your sister. My hopes went unnoticed, and I still feel the guilt."

"Wait, what? Hana's mom's favorite. She never gets in trouble. Probably because she doesn't live with us anymore and seems to visit when mom's in a decent mood." Kiba couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"No. Hana was also abused, but she ignored it. She knew how to not get your mother angry. She understood where the abuse came from, and tried to get your mother to stop hurting you too. But your mother was scared that you'd die, just like your father."

"Dad died _because _of mom. He couldn't stand her, so he offed himself! And apparently beating the shit outta me every day will make me want to live, huh? Well isn't she fucking brilliant." Kiba started shaking again, but this time out of anger.

Kuromaru looked down at the ground sadly. His normally fierce demeanor was now feeble. "Your father didn't kill himself."

Kiba's blood went cold. His head grew so light he felt faint. "WHAT?" There was a picture of his dad in his room, one that he kept in a box. Sometimes, he would wish for him to come back to life and stop his mom from hurting him. Whenever he felt suicidal, he looked at the picture and knew that his dad wanted him to be stronger than he had been. Now, all of that was rendered pointless, and it pissed Kiba off. "You'd better fucking TELL ME WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"

Kuromaru waited patiently for Kiba to calm down. He struggled to find the words. "Your father…doubtless you know how he was before he died. You've been told."

"Yeah, he was one of those skater types, carefree 'n cool, you know? I try to be like him."

"Yes, he indeed was one of those. He was powerful, confident, and dare I say cocky? He liked to take risks, but he always escaped them unharmed…for the most part." Kuromaru paced around, uneasy.

"I think I did him proud on that boat," Kiba boasted, temporarily assuaged of his anger; though it soon came back. "But you're not telling me what you were saying before."

"As I said, he sometimes hurt himself on missions because he chose to act so recklessly, and this worried many of his unit…but not as much as your mother."

"She worried about him?" Kiba asked incredulously. "I don't believe it. She probably yelled at him all the time."

Kuromaru shook his head. "Tsume was raised as an animal fighter, just like your father, and always possessed the same talents. However, she was too timid. She feared causing harm to others, and this fear grew exponentially when she fell in love with your father. She didn't want to see him hurt. She would cry whenever he came home with so much as a scratch."

Kiba couldn't believe this. His mother had always been awful, angry, and cruel. To think of her shedding a tear for anyone made him laugh. "You're not serious. She's not like that."

"But I am telling you that she _was_ like that. And I hated her, just as much as you hate her now."

Kuromaru's voice dropped into a tone of remembrance; a soft growl bellowed with each word, recalling the days past. It sent a shiver through Kiba, who suddenly tensed. He felt the hostility. "…what?"

"Your father was originally my partner. Tsume came into his life and I saw her as a plague. She swooned over him, acted like a mother, acted like a whiny lover…and he softened. He would opt out of missions so she wouldn't worry. It came to the point where I wanted to rip her throat out. There was a dry period where he just stopped doing missions while they took care of Hana. When you were born, I could hardly stand it. Your mother was raising you so daintily…she'd cry whenever your father handed you a skateboard. She'd never let you leave the house…she didn't want you to be a ninja."

That was impossible. He never received much support from his mother, but not because she worried about him.

"_**You? A ninja? I'm surprised you even passed. Well, whatever, the system's fucked anyway. Get out of here, go celebrate and leave me alone."**_

"_**Oh, so you can use ninjutsu? Well I'd hope you could if you passed the exam to begin with. No, I don't want to see it."**_

"_**You call THAT strong? You're a pussy. Don't waste my time if you're not going to actually put in any effort."**_

"She loved you so much that she would shelter you forever if it meant you'd be okay. She felt the same way with your father, too. I suppose she didn't lay much on Hana because she was a woman, and I think your mother saw that Hana was stronger-willed. Eventually though, Tsume and your father went on a mission together. It was a dangerous mission, and we were ambushed. Your father was seriously hurt, and in a position where your mother had to cut him free of a painful wire jutsu. It would hurt him to be freed, but if he wasn't then he'd suffer even more. She didn't have the will to do it. She waited for backup to arrive to do it. By then though, your father's legs were paralyzed."

"…Paralyzed?" Kiba murmured in a small voice, floored. "That's…mom never said anything like..."

"Your father just smiled; even as he had to go around in a wheelchair. He couldn't be a ninja again, and he couldn't perform his favorite hobby. Your mother felt so guilty, she let him give you his skateboard. It seemed they could go on. But I was too angry. I made the mistake that shattered her, and subsequently you." The great dog seemed to shrink into the ground, trembling as he recalled those moments. "I…I attacked your mother one night. I intended to break her neck. You must understand, it seemed like justice for everything she put your father through."

A noise of horror and distress slipped out of the boy's mouth. He also began to cower, feeling the overwhelming anger and guilt rushing from the dog's words.

"Your father threw himself from his wheelchair and intercepted the attack. I…I was too angry to realize it was him. I didn't kill him right there, but I did something worse."

"Yeah…?" Kiba dared to ask, the word slipping out of his mouth, though he didn't want to know.

"It lay dormant in me for quite a while. I must have contracted it after my physical, otherwise they would've treated it immediately…" he visibly stalled, waving back and forth trying to keep his voice strong.

For once, Kiba had no energy or will to go wild. He just sat on the grass, staring down at the ground and feeling horrible.

"…I gave him rabies. He started to feel extremely ill, and we thought it was from the attack. But soon, we had to tie him down the bed. He started to go insane. I'm not exaggerating when I say he could have killed a few of us if he could use his legs. Your mother ended his life, before he forgot who we were."

Kiba moaned, covering his ears and shrinking into a ball. Tears ran hot and fast down his cheeks. He shook his head, rocking back and forth. "No…no…"

"I was going to be put down. Tsume saved me, and even helped cure me. But she changed after that. She became so afraid for you and your sister. She was torn between wanting you to be stronger than her and also being sheltered and hidden away. She loves you, I swear. I truly think having to kill her own husband did something to her mind. Her breaking point is very low and brittle."

"_**He almost fucking died on that boat because you weren't there. He comes home with a broken arm and a hole in his chest and you're saying you're the victim! Get away from this house or I'll rip a hole in you!"**_

She had defended him. Kiba remembered back to that day, where she had been almost…gentle. She had been scared for him. She felt guilty. She must have.

Kiba stood up after a while, looking at Kuromaru. Though he wanted to, he couldn't hate the old dog. Kuromaru made the mistake Kiba saw himself making every day; letting his anger supersede everything else. His excuses to let out the anger were shams—the truth was, he had none. Hinata didn't deserve to fall victim to his stupid outbursts. He tried to imagined Kuromaru tearing at his dad's throat; amidst more tears, he imagined his mother standing over his convulsing body, her eyes deader than the black ocean.

He trembled and left Kuromaru whimpering on the grass. "Mom?" he called out, voice breaking. "Mom?"

It took a while, but a voice replied. "What?" She emerged from the bottom of the hill, staring at him in confusion and irritation.

"I love you."

Tsume frowned, completely taken aback by his declaration. Flustered, she looked away. "What the fuck is this about?" Tears once again fell from his lids. "W-What are you crying for?" she snapped.

Sobbing into his shirtsleeve, he tried to keep his vision clear long enough to look her in the face. "M-Mom…Kuromaru, h-h-h-he told me everything. Why did you lie to me? You d-didn't have to lie…I'm such a retard, I'm so fucking stupid, I've been horrible, ugh, Mom! I'm sorry!"

Tsume's complexion went from irritated to shocked. She drew her arms around herself, still frowning, this time avoiding his stare. "He did, huh?"

Kiba nodded, bawling and not caring about it.

"You're crying like a sissy right now."

He shook his head. "I don't care, Mom, I don't care!"

She watched him crying, not because she had hurt him. He cried for her, his father, and the loss of a once tender woman. Those tears were for more than his sake. They didn't come from any weakness; they came from strength—the strength to face her, and understand her, when she didn't even understand herself. Yet, she saw pain in his face. Pain because he saw her through the eyes of half-broken young man. Everything she had done, he was prepared to forgive her. It made her tear up. She turned her head, afraid to face him with such weakness.

He screamed, "don't look away! D-Don't be afraid Mom! Please look at me…it's okay to feel weak, doesn't it? Everything you've taught me, it's not true, right? It's okay to be weak…especially when you're not that strong to begin with. I'm only physically strong, mom. I can't handle it when a girl looks at me. If she's got any toughness in her eyes, I can't take it. I have to run. Mom, _you're _the one who made me weak. But you always yelled at me for it. But…but…" he trembled, approaching her. "But I don't care, Mom, you shouldn't have lied to me. It's not your fault, Mom…it's okay to be weak…" Hinata's face floated into his mind. "It makes you stronger. In the long run…you have the courage to face danger, and…and you can fight it." His heart sunk thinking about it. He was the danger in that example. He was just like his mother. "Mom…we've gotta stop. What the fuck are we doing? Hurting people…"

Tsume glanced at Kuromaru, who had quietly appeared during Kiba's tearful proclamations. He glanced back, eyes full of remorse, before turning away and walking off the property. At first, she grew hot with anger from the pity, but then she stood back and cooled off immediately. She deserved pity. She deserved that moment of tears that she hadn't allowed herself in years.

It felt like an eternity, but she finally had the courage to stare at her son, who, despite his shaking and low-pitched whines, looked more like a man than ever. For a moment, she thought she was watching her husband. She reached her hand out, and grazed his cheek. He looked up at her, giving a half-hearted smile. He became Kiba again; her son. A strong young man with so much potential. A young man whose smile could make the room light up. A young man whose smile she hadn't seen in years. A young man who transferred his anger at her to another young woman. A young man she thought she destroyed.

She threw her arms around him; reflexively, he froze in fear. She rocked back and forth clutching him, letting out decades of tears on his jacket. He remained stiff for a little while, before his body realized it wouldn't be in any pain. He held her back, and they cried, intertwined like a sculpture of forgiveness and remorse.

**XxXxXx**

The toaster popped out a flimsy wheat bagel for Ino's delight. She grabbed it and buttered it ever so lightly; though she had promised herself beauty wasn't everything, she didn't want to pork out.

Chouji came up behind her, smiling. "I think I'm having a bad effect on you. You're snacking twice as much."

She blushed. "Ah, I can't help it. I mean, if it's costing you too much, I can stop. It's just, I'm not used to having so many munchable things around."

"It's fine." He observed her; she looked a little gangly in an oversized button-down and sweatpants that barely touched her ankles.

"What?" She had noticed his gaze.

"Well…I dunno. I mean, I know it was all in the passion of the moment, but you didn't have to throw out _all _of your clothes. I'm sure you can't be happy walking around in the stuff I wore when I was twelve…which are still big on you."

She thought about it. "Yeah…I guess I was all romantic, thinking I'd completely change…but I can't help but still want cute clothes and stuff. Luckily I like my hair short. Well, I learned my lesson. And come on," she giggled, patting his belly, "with the training we've been doing, you've lost some weight. Don't beat yourself up."

Chouji shrugged. "I'll never be skinny. It's just the way I am. But I have been getting a little muscular," he bragged, pulling up a sleeve and flexing. A small muscle popped up.

Ino clapped. "Soon, we'll be as strong as Sakura and her team!"

"Yeah…sure. We've probably got a lot of catching up to do."

There was a knock on the door. Chouza bellowed from the living room, "Oooh, oooh! Can I get the door, Chouji? Huh, Ino? Tell him I can get the door!"

Chouji smiled. "Sorry, dad, you should just stay there. I've got it already." There was a grunt of defeat from the other room, and sound of the television being turned up a little. That was Chouza's version of being mad. After about ten minutes, he would stop being mad and turn the volume down.

Ino headed into the side room to get out of the way. She sat on the little chair and stared at the plant in the corner while Chouji answered the door.

She heard the door open, and then silence. Chouji made a small noise of surprise, before stuttering. "Oh, h-hello…"

"Is Ino here?"

Her heart fell out of her chest when she heard her father's voice. She froze in her chair, not sure what to do. The last time they spoke, he threw her into the street while calling her a whore. She deserved it all, and didn't know what to say to him. All she could think of was his distraught, contorted face brimming with anger and disappointment.

"Um…she…"

"I know she's here, Chouji. Please, let me talk to her." He sounded hoarse, almost weak.

Ino stood up, trembling. Chouji looked over at her, frightened himself. She gulped and slowly headed into the main room. Once the ceiling light hit her eyes, she turned to look at her father, forgetting how to breathe.

They looked at each other for what felt like ages, icy blue eyes connecting mid-air and sending emotional messages that neither could quite figure out. Finally, Ino spoke.

"Daddy, I-"

As soon as she opened her mouth, he seized her and held her tightly. "Ino, oh Ino, I'm so glad you're safe. I…I should have come sooner. I knew you'd be here, but I wasn't sure what to do, what to say…you cut your hair, oh Ino, please tell me you're alright."

"Daddy," she muttered, lips trembling. "D-Daddy, I should've gone back home, I'm sorry. I'm the worst daughter ever. No wonder no one came to the shop, they knew a s-slut was working there, I ruined the business, Daddy…"

"No you didn't. I lost my passion, I stopped caring. I should've been better. But Ino, Ino, you did something so damn foolish…you broke my heart, you know."

She gasped, tearing up. "I-I'm sorry. I know you can't trust me, Daddy, but I want to help us. I don't want to be homeless, or lose the shop. I was too afraid to be a ninja, I was so vain, but I'm training now. I'm gonna take missions, me and Chouji are, and we're gonna help each other. You and Chouza and Shikaku did that for each other, back in the day right? Well, me and Chouji will too."

Her eyes burned with determination and love; he reciprocated with strength. He smiled; something Ino hadn't seen in a long time. She felt an overwhelming sense of pride, of completion: her father was smiling because of her. It was that that she wanted to feel. She saw that every time she snuck money into the drawer and pointed out their sales at the end of the week, he'd have a smile too. But that smile was a different one. It wasn't a fulfilled, true smile. She had tried to make him proud, and failed. She didn't want to fail him again.

"Ino," he said seriously after a moment. "Come back with me. We can't be bothering the Akimichis all the time."

Chouji smiled at her and nodded. She sighed, hiccupping and shaking her head in happiness. "Yeah, yeah of course Daddy…but…" she paused, not wanting to ask him.

"What?"

"I…I need new clothes. I…I kinda burned all mine."

He sighed. "I'll buy you the bare essentials, but you're on your own for that sort of thing. You'll start working in the shop again. If you want another job, find a respectable one. I've come up with some good ideas that I'd like to share with you; I think they'll be popular."

"Y-Yeah. Yeah, that's fair." She felt so wonderful; as if her burdens had been thrown off the moment he accepted her.

"While we're here though, I'd like to pay a visit to my old friend," he mentioned. He heard the television lowered, and smiled. "He's in there?"

Chouji nodded. Inoichi started walking there, and then paused. "Oh, dammit. I forgot…how could I forget that? Shikamaru's in the hospital."

Silence filled the room. The two teenagers exchanged glances of worry and confusion. "What?" Chouji finally asked.

"He was caught in some sort of gas leak explosion in an abandoned prison near the edge of town. Because he's been seen drifting from place to place recently, everyone's assuming he was sleeping there, with Shikaku in jail and Yoshino in the hospital." His expression darkened for a moment. "I don't know what happened with you three, but you can't let past transgressions get in the way of tomorrow. Otherwise…you might not get the chance to apologize." Inoichi glanced towards the living room again, with an air of experience. With that, he headed into the room. "Hey, Chouza! How are you?" the two heard from the living room. An excited reply soon followed.

Ino and Chouji remained in the main room, unsure of what to say.

"He's right, but…Shikamaru's been so horrible to us. I mean, I blame myself for it. Do you think we should forgive him? Should I ask for his forgiveness again?" Ino fidgeted, thinking of that night again.

Chouji stared out the window at the darkening sky. "…he's in the hospital. We can try again. We can give him another chance. If he was in an explosion, he's lucky to be alive."

"Yeah…" she trailed off, now also looking out into the inky sky. "I think…I think we all are."

**XxXxXx**

The moon crawled towards the high skies, shedding a silvery light onto the forest dirt. Hanabi clutched onto her big sister's arm, avoiding the bigger pebbles while gazing wide-eyed at the dark trees, afraid something would pop out.

"Where are we going?" she asked quietly.

Hinata continued walking, stepping over a branch that had fallen onto the long-abandoned road. "The Hyuuga training ground. You came here with me and dad when you were really little. Neji and I would sometimes play here by ourselves, when we were tired of our families bickering. We always complained about it, and promised we'd never fight."

"Oh." They were quiet for another minute, until the little Hyuuga spoke up again. "You and Neji fought all the time though when we all started living together. But one day you just stopped. You don't speak anymore. Sometimes I'd ask Neji why, and he would say 'we just are too busy'."

Hinata grew sad. "Yeah…but don't worry." She reflected on Neji and Hanabi's closeness. "I've been a terrible sister to you."

Hanabi gripped her tighter. "What? No, no you haven't!"

The older one smiled; still, she knew that she had been.

The clearing finally came into view. It was surprisingly bare for a training ground, with no dummies or equipment to be found. In fact, the only feature distinguishing it from a normal forest clearing was a cliffside, with a waterfall pouring down into a gentle pool surrounded by white rocks.

Neji was nowhere to be seen; but Hinata knew better. She walked toward the waterfall with Hanabi in tow. A warped shadow became visible on the surface of the waterfall as they approached. She held out her arm and activated her Byakugan. Her hand warmed with blue energy, and the waterfall became to open up in the middle.

Hanabi watched, astounded. "It's a Hyuuga secret. It's actually very simple, as long as you have control of your Byakugan. Someday you'll be able to do it," Hinata explained.

"What's behind there?"

Hinata pointed as the hole became large enough to walk through. A sliver of the moon fell through the hole and illuminated the shivering, sleeping body of Neji who lay on the small ledge under the cliff. Hanabi gasped. "Cousin!"

Hinata crouched. "Here, get on my back. I can walk over the water, but you don't know how yet."

Hanabi complied, holding tight to Hinata's shoulders. Hinata headed towards the waterfall. The young one made a noise of awe when she stepped onto the water as if were cement. They went through the hole. Hinata's step onto the rock made an echo in the tiny chamber.

Neji woke with a start, scooting up to the side of the cliff. Disoriented from his brain just turning on, he stared at the figures, not recognizing them for a moment. "Wha…"

"Neji!" Hanabi shrieked, jumping down from Hinata's shoulders and running to hug him. She fell into his lap, starting to cry. "You're okay! Yay!"

He looked dumbfounded, looking at the little girl in his lap, and then staring up. "How did you know I-"

"Don't even ask me that, Neji. You know." She sat down by his side.

"Why did you come?" He sounded tired; weak.

"Big sis saved me!" Hanabi declared, nodding fervently. "She came here to find you after Kiba attacked me!"

"Wha…Kiba?" he couldn't follow fully, mind still slowly waking up.

"Calm down, Hanabi," Hinata urged. She smiled at Neji, suddenly shyer once she saw wakefulness hitting his stare.

"Kiba…attacked you?"

"He was looking for Akamaru; apparently he ran away after Kiba accidentally hurt him. It doesn't matter. I took care of him. I wasn't about to let him destroy our house, and hurt Hanabi in the process."

Looking almost floored, he shook his head. "_You_? What did you do?"

"She punched him! He was hurting her, and then she just punched him and told him to go away! She saved me! She's so strong." Hanabi was ready to go on declaring her amazement, but a raised hand from Hinata made her stop.

"…Huh." Neji grinned a little, still shaking his head. "Who'd have thought that. Good job."

"I was completely lost without you. She wanted food, and I didn't know what to do. I can't take of her on my own. I'm surprised at myself, really, when I protected her. But I couldn't let Kiba hurt her. I was tired of him yelling at me with his problems. He never let me talk to him about what his mom does; he never let me help him. And I needed to help myself. That emptiness of you not being in the house scared me. I don't like you not being in my life. But I know I made your life hard."

He chuckled, relaxing from Hanabi's warmth. "Yeah, you think so?"

"I'll change. If you teach me, I'll help around the house. I'll start training; I'll go out and make some money. That share I got from the ferry mission really helped us out, but it's only temporary. I didn't do anything on that boat, and I know it, but I think I can do _something_. Of course, I don't know how, seeing as how I don't know if Kiba'll ever want to see me again, and who knows where Shino is, and Kurenai-sensei's been suspended…but I'll do something. I have to." When he didn't reply, she continued, a little worried that he didn't believe her. "I remember how we used to be so close. We were supposed to come together when we were abandoned, but we didn't. I didn't know how to help you when your teammates disappeared. I ran away. I left you and Hanabi behind. That's not how it's supposed to work. At that funeral, when Naruto was talking to all of us; the love he had for Konohamaru…that's exactly how I feel about you. If you died…"

"Alright, alright." Neji leaned his head against the rock wall. "I'm not about to die. I was thinking too, while under here. I was thinking about the good old days. And I know we're never gonna get those back. But…" he turned towards her. "Well, we can try, can't we? If you're serious, then we can try."

She smiled, overjoyed that he took her seriously. She nodded, almost laughing. "We can, and we'll be okay. We will be!"

A small noise came from the lump of Hanabi on Neji's lap. He smiled, too; a real smile. "She's sleeping. Why were you dragging her around this late?"

"Well, I didn't exactly clean the house…I didn't want her hurting herself on any wood."

"Oh, so you're talking about changing your ways, and you don't even attempt to clean the house? Thanks."

She laughed, while starting to cry happily. She hadn't heard his loving sarcasm in years. "Oh, shut up."

They sat in silent for a few minutes while the chirping from the crickets bounced off the water and turned into warped, gentle noises in the night air. Hinata watched the water fall in front of her. "Do you remember the last time we were back here?"

"…Yeah. It was nice."

"_**Wait up!" a young Hinata called to her big cousin. Her dress flapped in the breeze as she rushed after him; he stopped, impatiently bouncing in place. She caught up to him, breathing heavily. "Man, I gotta train more or something. I think Daddy's being too easy on me."**_

"_**Hey, at least he's not too hard on you, like mine." They walked toward the waterfall together, holding hands. "Dad likes to make me run laps around the whole forest. He always buys me ice cream if I make good time, though. I guess it's not all bad."**_

_**They triggered Byakugan together, opening the waterfall and running across the pond, giggling. The night floated as a black ocean above them; it was almost midnight, and they had snuck out.**_

_**They fell into the cave, laughing at their rebellious antics.**_

"_**It feels good to break the rules sometimes," Hinata declared.**_

"_**Yeah. Definitely."**_

_**A minute passed with them just staring at each other. Now that the deed was done…now what?**_

"_**So…now what?" Hinata asked.**_

"_**Um…I dunno." Neji stood up, pacing around while looking at the waterfall.**_

"_**Should we go back?"**_

"_**No! We just got here." Neji smiled at the waterfall, an idea growing.**_

"_**Well, I dunno what we should do. We should have brought a game or something, cuz I—AHHH!" While she was talking, Neji gathered some of the water in his hands and threw it at her. She became drenched in ice cold water. She shrieked and scrambled up. "You stupidface! ARGH! STOP LAUGHING! I HATE YOU!"**_

"_**Aww, boohoo," he teased. She then shoved him through the waterfall.**_

"_**AHHH!" With a loud yelp, he plunged into the cold pond. **_

_**Hinata started to strip, unzipping her soaking dress and taking off her underwear until she was standing naked in the enclave. She opened up a hole in the waterfall, shivering. "Where are you?"**_

_**Neji emerged and climbed back onto the platform, teeth chattering. He began to peel off his clothes as well, wanting to get away from the frigid fabric against his skin. "Great job, idiot. Ugh, I guess I should wear trunks next time."**_

"_**Well you started it."**_

_**They sat naked together, shivering. Eventually, they stopped being angry at each other long enough to cuddle. Neji performed a warming chakra for their clothes.**_

_**He watched their clothes slowly dry. Hinata looked curiously at his body. "You're not very muscly." **_

_**Neji frowned. "Well, I just gotta train more." He stood up and mockingly flexed like a bodybuilder. "Someday I'll be huge and I can save you from anything."**_

_**She giggled. "I think I'll be the one saving YOU from the bad guys." Her eyes became fixed on his pelvic region. "I wonder why you have that."**_

_**He looked down. "Well, how else am I supposed to pee?"**_

"_**GROSS. I don't have that and I can too."**_

"_**Well, in case you didn't know, boys and girls are different. Girls have that stuff inside cuz they're more vulnerable."**_

_**Hinata started laughing. "Is that true?"**_

_**Neji's lip trembled; he was suppressing a giggle. "I don't think so. I have no idea why we're different." Sitting next to her again, he hugged her. "Are our clothes dry yet?"**_

_**She stretched out her thin leg and poked her dress with her toe. "Almost."**_

Neji and Hinata sat holding each other like that had that night. Hanabi slept peacefully against his chest, snoring lightly.

"We ended up falling asleep while waiting for our clothes to dry, right?" Neji asked.

"Yup. We had fevers for like a week. And we were grounded."

They shared a laugh, before quieting again. Hinata looked up at her big cousin. "Things aren't that innocent anymore."

"Nope," Neji replied, running his hands through Hanabi's hair. "Now we're the ones who have to be responsible."

"Think I can do it?" Hinata posited, cuddling closer to him.

They smiled at each other. "I think so."

The three Hyuugas slept under the waterfall that night, warm with each other's love and comfort. It was a moment for them where they knew everything was going to be okay; where the world would start turning towards the bright side of the moon rather than the bleakness of a still evening.

**XxXxXx**

Hello! It's been a while. Believe it or not, but sophomore year is about twice as hard as freshman year. This is actually the year where you start feeling that college stress; you think you feel it freshman year, but that's nothing like sophomore year. Anyway, I've been having enjoying the responsibility and the learning, but I've had to sacrifice writing time because of it. My goal is to have another chapter up by the end of my winter break (which is mid-January…).

As you should have figured out, this chapter was extremely family-oriented. I really enjoyed mending the wounds of the characters and bringing mothers and sons, father and daughter, and cousins back together. Next chapter will involve main plot. After all, with that attempted killing of Shikamaru, Temari, and Kankuro, somebody will have to explain something.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Christmas break! And happy Channukah for my Jewish readers!


	21. Goodnight, Father

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
Slight AU warning.  
Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!**

Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja trigger a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?

Note: _Italicized lines _often mean thoughts of a character or, in some cases, dreams. They may also indicate song lyrics. **Bolded lines **often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. _**Bolded italicized lines **_often mean flashbacks.

The Author Speaks: There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information will be limes/_possible _lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes.

Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except all the characters are two years older than before the time-skip in the series (13 is 15, 26 is 28, etc). Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire.

**NOTE! **The Sarutobi section deliberately includes confused tenses. Due to his senility, his point of view isn't as clear as the others.

Definitions:  
none

Songs:  
"Any Other World" – by _Mika  
_"Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" – by _Nancy Sinatra_  
"How To Save a Life" – by _The Fray_  
"Viva La Vida" – by _Coldplay_

**Show Me a Hero**

_**Chapter 21 – Goodnight, Father**_

Burgundy skies blanketed a sleeping Konoha, while the little stars blinked out one by one. The occasional citizen dragged himself down the quiet road; a nicer one would nod to passerby; the rest would only pay attention to their steaming caffeine. In an hour or two, the town would flicker to life, dull and bleak.

On the cliff overlooking the town, Sarutobi sat in his office, rummaging through files. There were times when he'd forget what he was doing and would proceed to sit there, dumbfounded, until he collected his thoughts. Semi-aware of his own senility, he decided that he'd ask Tsunade and Kakashi to open the building with him instead of waiting for them for an hour.

A few C-mission slips were spread out on his desk. He didn't know what to do with them. Judging by the statistics recently collected for the teams, there were only three passing teams, and five missions to be handed out.

Once there was a time when forty slips needed to be distributed, and there were plenty of willing teams to take them. Only, that time had long passed. Before war, before the tragedy…

_I wonder when Asuma will get home from school, _he thought. _That boy always horses around with his brother, when they should be helping me make dinner._

Sarutobi felt the warmth of a body behind him. The presence felt too strong to be either of his sons. He turned, acknowledging the stranger. "Can I help you?"

A warm smile spread across the stranger's face. "Hiruzen," the stranger spoke in a gentle voice, "you certainly can help me. I want to see how you're doing."

"Hiruzen? I haven't been called that in ages," Sarutobi mused, laughing. "Ages? Well…I'm not that old yet. Oh…" he frowned, confused. "Yes, I'm sorry, what was your name?"

"That's no so important now. After all, we're old friends." The stranger sat across from his desk, gazing over the mission slips and the papers. "Oh dear, you're so disorganized. Why on earth don't you have anyone helping you?"

"They're not supposed to be here for another hour. I should make them get up earlier. Young people these days are so lazy." Feeling particularly generous, Sarutobi stood up to pour the guest some coffee.

Another smile from the latter. "You know I don't like coffee. I prefer tea. Have you brewed any?"

Sarutobi set the cup down and frowned. "…I don't think so. I never remember to. Well, I suppose you can do without." He seated himself again, folding his hands together.

"Well," the stranger began in that sweet and serene voice, "how is everything? How are the town affairs?"

"Bah. You know how it is; everything could be ten times better than the shit-state we're in. Life is tough and I'm trying to handle it."

"How about Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade? How have they been faring?" The stranger's eyes remained affixed on Sarutobi's expression, eagerly engaged in the conversation.

The irritated look on the old man's face immediately brightened; he smiled. "They're the joy of my life! With my sweetheart dead, my sons running around like idiots, and this town sucking the life out of me, I need those three. Sometimes I want to throw the town onto someone else and spend the whole day with them."

A laugh resounded from the guest. "You always had so much love for them. I'm sure that hasn't changed after these many years. Even after they all left…"

Sarutobi nodded. "I did. I won't deny that I didn't hold a special spot for Orochimaru in my heart. He was different than other students at the academy. He seemed to work harder, and produce less magnificent results. That wasn't because he was weak; it was because he was new. I'd actually never seen a new shinobi. I'd always been used to the families handing down their children to the task."

"_**You don't come from a family of shinobi," Sarutobi observed after watching Orochimaru perform his preliminary test. **_

_**He wanted to make sure his new students were up to standards and that they would handle his lessons. Jiraiya, the jokester, proved to be the least well-rounded, though he excelled in what he knew. Tsunade, surprisingly, was physically the strongest and this coupled well with her gift of chakra manipulation. **_

_**Orochimaru, on the other hand, seemed the most down-to-earth. He didn't possess remarkable ability in any particular category, but there was an authentic drive in his test. Sarutobi sensed the amount of sweat the boy shed in his journey here.**_

_**The young man quizzically looked at his new sensei. "You're correct. My family doesn't trust the Konoha shinobi. They put their trust in the Uchiha police. I have had little support in my way here."**_

"_**Well, the reason Konoha was founded was to promote a new way of life and provide opportunity for those who felt lost in the crowds of Otogakure. It doesn't matter whether or not we're less established than the Uchiha clan…we still grow from a single principle: to defend our citizens and maintain the good, so they may prosper in mind and life." Sarutobi regarded the other two teenagers. "What would you say to that?"**_

"_**Sounds good to me!" Jiraiya declared, enthusiastic as always.**_

"_**Who else is going to protect them?" Tsunade posited with a fiery smile.**_

"_**My family is weak," Orochimaru stated. "But they choose to spurn the help of Konoha. If Uchiha ever becomes useless, who knows what they'll do. Probably move. They don't like you, Sarutobi-sensei."**_

_**Sarutobi sighed. "I don't seem to be popular. I suppose you won't be telling them who your teacher is."**_

"_**I've already told them. Proudly." Orochimaru beamed at him. "If they want to criticize, they can all they want. But without shinobi, they'd be helpless. So I'll protect them, whether they like it or not."**_

_**The drive present in the boy's eye resounded well with Sarutobi. He saw someone who was not born into the trials with knowledge of what to do—he had to persevere, hurt, and conquer them with difficulty. From those circumstances are strong leaders born. Though that was far in the future, Sarutobi sensed that Orochimaru had the ability to become someone great. He maintained a wise spirit beyond his young years. That attracted him further to his student. A strong friendship seemed imminent.**_

Once again, Sarutobi's face became glum. "It hurt a lot, to watch them leave. It felt so sudden. No one even bade me a proper goodbye, except Orochimaru. He was the first to go. Secretly, I loved him the most. Tsunade and Jiraiya were both wonderful students, but Orochimaru was much more open to me, like I was his father."

"Oh?"

He nodded. "Yes, yes…"

"_**I can't handle this anymore," Jiraiya complained, collapsing onto the ground in the hot summer sun. He fanned himself and loosened his red button-down a little. "Ugh."**_

"_**You're such a loser," Tsunade taunted, sitting on a tree stump and running her fingers through her long blonde locks.**_

"_**Well you're not wearing anything!" Jiraiya pointed out her short-shorts and skimpy top. "I'm dying here!"**_

"_**That's what you get for wearing nice clothes to training. You're a slob anyway. You're not fooling anyone with your nice shirt." Tsunade giggled and sat on her back, performing a cooling jutsu to keep her sweat at a soothing temperature.**_

_**Hiruzen, thirty-four and stronger than ever, picked up the training logs with one arm and tossed them into the shed. "Stop fighting. You both did fine in the training."**_

_**Orochimaru emerged from the shed, having put away the trap nets. His hair was long, black, and tied back; he had a slim, feminine figure. "Yes Jiraiya," he teased, with his soft-spoken words, "you did fine. Though, for being only a 40K, you look like you ran across the country."**_

_**Jiraiya, who had also fallen onto his back, lifted the middle finger up and waved it around. "We both know you primped yourself up after you ran. You probably sweated buckets." Orochimaru laughed.**_

_**Hiruzen rolled his eyes. "Congratulations—you're all the epitome of maturity. We're done for the day, so if you want to go home, you're free to."**_

_**Jiraiya and Tsunade jumped up. Orochimaru lingered by Hiruzen, so they bade the two goodbye.**_

_**Hiruzen picked up his briefcase, ready to head to the office. Orochimaru stared up at him expectantly. "Um…did I forget something?" the sensei asked.**_

"_**We were supposed to get ramen today," Orochimaru reminded him, ever the patient boy. **_

"_**Oh! Ah shit. Something came up this morning. There's been really bad friction between Water and Lightning. I'm supposed to review the threats and figure out how to keep us out of it." Hiruzen shook his head. "Another time?"**_

_**Orochimaru still smiled, completely understanding of his position. "I'd love that. Would I be able to join you today? I'm interested in administrative work myself. I'd like to run Konoha someday."**_

_**Hiruzen chuckled. "Well, as long as you don't get in the way. But my boy, you shouldn't aim so low. Konoha's been in a slow decline for twelve years—ever since I took office. I don't want you to take over my mistakes."**_

"He's been doing a good job in Otogakure," the guest pointed out. "If he had stayed here, do you think he would have pulled Konoha out of this mess?"

Sarutobi sighed, scratching his head. Though fondness covered his face, sadness loomed in between the wrinkles. "Orochimaru…was a wonderful student. And he's good leader. But…there were things I can't deny, no matter how much I love him."

"Deny?" The stranger became curious, leaning closer towards the old man.

For some reason, Sarutobi felt comfortable pouring out his heart to this person. He felt secure in the person's presence. "Yes. The things I did for him…hoping that it was just a phase. I put so much trust and love into him that I abused my power, just to keep him safe by covering up his…mistakes."

_**Jiraiya doubled over, screaming in pain. The assailant successfully lodged a kunai in his shoulder; it was deep in.**_

_**Tsunade shook, whimpering from the site, and grabbed the kunai. Jiraiya roared in pain and kicked her away. "DON'T TOUCH ME!"**_

"_**N-No! I have to get it out, it's poisoned!"**_

_**Hiruzen kicked an enemy's dead body out of the way. Several Konoha ninja were strewn across the plain, having been killed by a surprise land mine the enemy set up. The village they were supposed to attack was now in so much more danger.**_

_**Orochimaru was nowhere to be found.**_

"_**Goddammit, where is that boy?" Hiruzen yelled, grabbing Jiraiya. "Hold on; this will hurt." He pulled the kunai from his shoulder; flesh squealed and ripped. Jiraiya fainted from the pain as a yellow fizz oozed from the wound. "Heal him. You can get the poison out entirely, correct? I'm going to find Orochimaru."**_

_**Tsunade nodded. "Y-Yeah, I can do it."**_

_**Hiruzen quickly noted the battle as he left the two behind. Another unit of ninja appeared to assist them; he determined that they would be safe as long as they didn't go after him. Flying through the trees, he called for the boy's name. He detected the familiar chakra as he drew closer to the village. **_

_**With no warning, an explosion rang through the air. "Shit!" he cursed, watching the air above the village became consumed in smoke. Zipping through the final thicket of trees, he emerged to see the small village a smoky ruin. **_

_**Orochimaru stood amongst a small pile of corpses, watching the village burn. Hiruzen made out the faces of the other enemy shinobi, a Konoha ninja, and the village leader.**_

"_**Holy fuck!" Hiruzen shouted, grabbing Orochimaru. "What are you doing, sitting here and watching?" He produced a flame-ceasing jutsu as the ally unit approached, ready to assist in the situation.**_

"…_**The village leader betrayed us to the enemy. The enemy found out you were going to lead the mission. So they promised to leave the village alone in exchange for the village leader placing the land mine to kill you." Orochimaru shook with anger. "And this stupid man," he shoved the Konoha ninja's body over, "he tried to stop me."**_

"_**Stop you? You didn't do this, did you? This is all you?" **_

_**The fire crackled menacingly, overtaking the tiny village homes, scorching them to piles of ash. Women cried, children screamed, men cowered in fear. Amidst the heat and the burning chaos, Orochimaru seemed to be smiling.**_

"_**They were going to kill you," he repeated. "They wanted our protection, so we trusted them. And they betrayed us. Why do they think they can do what they please? Without us, they would all be dead."**_

_**Aghast and shaken, Hiruzen lead Orochimaru away from the rubble. In fear, the villagers watched the young man go by. **_

_**Ninja rushed by them, intent on putting out the flame, as the village grew distant behind them. Out of nowhere, Orochimaru started crying.**_

"_**I can't believe them. They were going to kill you, sensei! They don't understand how good you are. We were going to help them! They didn't have to do that. We help the weak and needy, right? So how come they act like our lives are worthless? Why?"**_

_**Holding him by the shoulder, Hiruzen shrugged, surprised at his student's breakdown and trying to push any accusations from his mind. "They were scared. We don't have the greatest reputation, but we're probably the only village they could afford. Inexperienced people make foolish decisions when they're desperate."**_

"_**They should trust us. We're all strong. There's no point in a weak shinobi." Orochimaru wiped his eyes, noticing his teammates up ahead and smiling in relief. "Weak people are such a nuisance, aren't they?"**_

_**Hiruzen pretended not to hear him.**_

"My, my," the stranger gasped. "Of course, he must have just been shaken. After all, he loved you so much that he was blinded in judgment. Don't you think?"

"I did think that. That's why I covered it all up. All of his other missions went perfectly fine. He passed the teacher exams with hard work. I was so proud of him…" Hiruzen trailed off, looking hurt. He and the stranger sat in silence for a minute, until he began to weep a little.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm just remembering…oh, this haunts me to this very day. I regret doing this so much…when you cover up something this awful…"

_**Orochimaru sat in the medical room, bloodied, eyes fixed on his aging teacher. Hiruzen furiously paced back and forth. "I can't believe, of all the people, this happened to you. And of all the missions to fuck up, you choose THIS ONE?"**_

"_**I told you, Kumo had the drop on us." The only words he chose to say; they felt insincere, almost detached.**_

_**Hiruzen sunk onto a chair, rubbing his temple. "What are we going to say to their families? How can we tell them that their children are gone? They'll want war with Kumo."**_

"_**Perhaps we should go to war, then." Orochimaru continued in his removed voice. **_

"_**What? You know we can't afford that. Kumo would crush us. Now we're going to have to explain this and try to avoid just that."**_

"_**We are pretty weak, aren't we…"**_

"_**Compared to Kumo? We're both poor, but they've got a stronger unit than us."**_

"_**So they're better than us, is what you're saying."**_

"_**No, I'm not. Orochimaru, you realize you're the one who has to talk to their families. They were your students." Hiruzen didn't understand how he could be so calm, so content with the catastrophe he witnessed.**_

_**He stood up. "I'll do it right now." He passed Hiruzen to leave; Hiruzen noticed the lack of emotion in his face.**_

"Why did you attack Kumogakure?" the stranger asked, curious.

"I made a bad decision. You see, their forces have been interested in collecting jutsu and they've had bad blood with the Hyuugas for quite awhile. Seeing as how the Hyuugas were part of Konoha's creation, they worried that Kumo would attack Konoha. I sent Orochimaru and his students to spy on Kumo. Orochimaru claimed that they were ambushed and his students were kidnapped."

"He lied, didn't he." It had been the first time the stranger guessed on the outcome of the story, but it was said with such assuredness that it seemed like a statement.

Sarutobi began to tear up.

_**Orochimaru turned his head just in time to miss a book flying at him. Tears poured down Hiruzen's face. "How could you do this? What is wrong with you?"**_

"_**I—"**_

"_**YOU LIED! THE KUMO SOLDIERS HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR STUDENTS. THEY SAID YOU WERE ALONE!"**_

_**Orochimaru remained silent, calm.**_

"_**WHERE ARE THEY?"**_

"_**You seem to care so much about them. Did you even know them?" Orochimaru asked after waiting for Hiruzen to stop pacing.**_

"_**What does that matter? I am the leader of this village! I can't allow my most trusted sensei to lie about the whereabouts of his students. I will not let this go unpunished, DO YOU HEAR ME?"**_

"_**They were sweet. They liked me a lot. I liked them too. You're acting like this didn't hurt me."**_

_**Hiruzen paused, looking back at his former student. The cold glance he had once given had changed to pity, but a guiltless understanding pervaded that pity. The latter brought back a painful memory, and along with it, a painful realization.**_

"_**Orochimaru…please tell me you didn't do what I think you did. Please tell me that I didn't make a mistake."**_

_**Orochimaru smiled at him. "Hiruzen…"**_

The old man paused the story, and looked up at the stranger. Perplexed, the stranger addressed him. "Is something wrong?"

"…I'm sorry. I just…recognized something, that's all. Let me continue."

"_**Hiruzen," Orochimaru repeated, "I don't think you're a weak shinobi. You're doomed by your surroundings and your mistakes. My students weren't doomed, but they let themselves be weak. Think about it. Other villages will respect you if you execute those Kumo soldiers in the name of Konoha. They killed your citizens, didn't they? The example will give Konoha the boost it needs. I promise you."**_

"_**But they didn't…kill…anyone. Y-Yo—" **_

"_**Not only are there less useless shinobi to weaken the state, you will find new respect among the villages." Orochimaru stood up, smiling. "I've done the right thing."**_

"_**The weakness of men is not cause for your judgment." **_

"_**I'm aware. **__**Weakness is not only measured in the physical performance of a person. Strength equals the ability to adapt to change, or rise up and quench the thirst of a parched area of humanity. Those who procrastinate at opportunities to better themselves-that is weakness. Those three children did not try or do what could and would have made them stronger. In this world, one must know how to protect oneself against hostility. But to ignore the art of combat is foolish. Like art, people can be good or bad at fighting—but also like art, people can still put feeling and passion in battle, even with lack of technical talent. There is no gray area in combat. You either win or lose. Loss can better someone, or put them into despair—and that too, is weakness. Death is the near future of the weak. Martyrdom is a wasted effort when the strong are killed to protect the weak. If the weak were made to run the world, it would crumble. The passage of time reveals to us whether the weak can be made strong…and if they cannot, they should not walk the earth."**_

At this point, Hiruzen wept openly, shaking his head. "I knew he'd gone mad—but all I could see was my student, my successor, my son…I knew that I couldn't make him the leader of Konoha at that point. I didn't know what he would do. I urged him to go to Otogakure, where he could rule over a strong nation. I hoped that would keep his madness away. I had to stop exporting a large number of resources to help with struggling costs, and I worried that Orochimaru would do something rash in response. However, he managed to help us at Otokage. And, when he assisted Konoha and saved us from the kyuubi, that was when I truly believed that he had renounced his childish view; otherwise, he would have let us perish."

"And what of the Uchiha massacre? That happened shortly after Itachi Uchiha returned from working with Orochimaru."

"That, I cannot say. Orochimaru had always been interested in the Sharingan—which is why the Uchiha didn't like him much. They didn't like being investigated. I believe Orochimaru put too much stock in Itachi's abilities, allowed him to fiddle with his Sharingan more than could be handled, and it damaged the boy. Orochimaru sent us quite a bit of help for the cleanup, and expressed deep regret. I believe it was sincere."

"This is all so interesting, especially coming from you, Hiruzen." The stranger seemed eager to ask more; the old man nodded. "So, you believe Orochimaru is fine now."

"No." Hiruzen said seriously, in a stronger voice than he'd carried all conversation.

"…Really?" The stranger looked confused, almost intimidated.

"Orochimaru is hiding something. With the covering up that I did, he could ruin me; or use my senility against me. But there are times when I'm completely aware. I've met with him several times recently, and that look—I'll never forget it, as long as I live. Behind that handsome face, an ugly and wretched philosophy works in his mind. It eats away at his soul, and leaves only a warped sense of justice to guide him. I will never know why he chose to save Konoha…selfishly, I believe it was for me. Those eyes carry false goodness."

Hiruzen finished, and met the gaze of the stranger with a look of complete recognition. For that brief moment, with the senility gone from his face, Hiruzen looked thirty years younger—like a teacher the stranger once knew. Horrified and caught off guard, the stranger let out a restrained moan. In one movement, he pulled out a kunai and slashed Hiruzen across the neck, severing a major artery.

Hiruzen died instantly in his seat, with the same strength and posture in his face that frightened the stranger.

Orochimaru sniffled, tears gathering on his distraught face. "I did do it for you." He sunk to his knees, holding the kunai tightly, and wept until the sun began to peak on the horizon. The town slowly flickered to life, dull and bleak.

_Take a bow, play the part – of a lonely, lonely heart._

Finally, Orochimaru stood up, his face slashed into pieces by the slivers of light sneaking in between the blinds of the window. With a last sob, he turned away from his old master—his dear father—and disappeared.

_Say goodbye to the world you thought you lived in._

About twenty minutes later, Kakashi and Tsunade were walking up the steps to Lord Sarutobi's office. Kakashi held onto a steaming cup of coffee, while Tsunade yawned loudly.

"So Tonton's not giving you too much trouble? I'm surprised," he remarked. "I thought a pig would be messy."

"She's not used to living indoors, so she still needs some housetraining. At least she hasn't peed on anything too important," Tsunade replied, laughing.

"My dogs are always well-behaved," Kakashi teased, sipping his coffee and opening the door to the office.

"Because they're not real dogs," Tsunade defended.

The door swung open. Kakashi was the first to walk in; he immediately froze and dropped his cup.

_Say goodbye._

"Oh goddammit!" the woman replied, yawning. "Good job." She tried to move around him; he held his hand out to stop her, unable to speak. "What's wrong?" she looked above his arm and at Lord Sarutobi. Unable to process the blood at first, she pushed past Kakashi, and shrieked in misery once she saw his state.

"What the hell happened?" Kakashi demanded to know, quickly closing at locking the office door.

_To the world you thought you lived in._

Frantically, Tsunade began to heal his wound. She slowly broke down into a crying mess when they refused to heal. "No, no you son of a bitch, work. Work!" Still nothing.

Finally, she pressed her hand against his throat. "He's dead! No! What the fuck! Lord Sarutobi! Sarutobi! Hiruzen! Sensei! WAKE UP!"

**XxXxXx**

Heavy knocking on the door woke Asuma up too early for his amusement. He rolled out of bed. "Give me a second!" he bellowed, throwing on some slacks and a shirt. Rubbing his eyes, he shuffled over to the door and opened it. Kurenai stood there, looking desperate and frazzled. Her clothes looked wrinkled and her hair tangled. She also seemed to have gained some weight.

"Well you look like hell," he said, irritated.

"Asuma," she said in her cute, desperate voice.

"What?" he asked, further irritated.

"Can I stay here for a few days?"

"What the hell's wrong with your apartment? Did you buy yourself too much lipstick and you missed rent?" he asked sarcastically.

Tears filled her eyes; Asuma rolled his. "Oh, you have to listen to me. You know I've been suspended. I haven't been able to make my rent and the landlord finally kicked me out. I've been staying at Masudo's but he kicked me out and now I don't know what to do. I've been sleeping at the park but I'm worried I'm going to be thrown in jail. Asuma, please help me."

"You stayed with Masudo, that jerk? Wow, you're getting lower than usual," Asuma replied, unsympathetic.

"That's not the point! I need help…"

"You shouldn't have gotten three kids almost killed!" he yelled, almost wanting to close the door in her face but thinking against it. "Go blow your landlord so he cuts you some slack. That's what you're good at doing, hmm?"

Kurenai growled through her tears. "How dare you. I love you, Asuma!"

"I noticed that. You're not in love with me. All you want is my wallet and my dick, s—"

"No! No, I love you! You're the only one I have left!" Kurenai bellowed. "Why is everyone beating on me? Those children shouldn't have gone anyway! What's the point?"

"They saved the lives of everyone on that ship, you idiot! You're just too goddamn lazy! A teacher, you want to be? Well, guess what? It's actually _work_. These kids are actually shaping up to be something, and it made me see that sometimes, it's worth it to give us all another chance." Asuma lit up a cigarette. "Konohamaru didn't get to live in a decent place for his whole life, but he still thought we could do something. That kid…"

"Konohamaru? You're bringing your family into this? You were never close to him, or your brother. Or Lord Sarutobi for that matter! How can you justify this sudden change? I know Konoha's doomed. The only thing I could do was live a little…"

"Don't talk about my family. Just because you grew up spoiled and rich doesn't mean shit. If you need a place to live, go back to Oto and go live with your parents again. I'm sure they miss their little pumpkin," he replied scathingly.

"You lived in Lord Sarutobi's shadow, and he never was a good father to you…is that why you don't want to be close to anyone? I won't hurt you!"

"YOU ALREADY DID!" Asuma pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and crushed it in anger, burning his hand but barely feeling it. "Lord Sarutobi has _nothing _to do with this. He doesn't have anything to do with my life, he never did. Goddammit Kurenai, don't put this on me. You cheated on me god knows how many times. It's women like you who make girls like Ino think it's okay to be whores. Maybe I'm starting late, but I'm going to be a man that people should be, and put these cowards in their place. I can't help you with anything, you're too far gone for it."

"Asuma, please" Kurenai begged, "please, just a few days, or at least let me have some money, I need my apartment back…"

"Stop robbing me, you fucking gold-digger!"

"Just a few thousand, please, I—"

"Get a fucking job! Dig ditches, work in an office, clean up horse shit, I don't care, just stop asking for fucking handouts from anyone you can suck off!" Asuma bellowed, about to slam the door in her face.

Kurenai burst into tears again. "I'm pregnant! I can't take jobs like that!"

The door remained where it was. Asuma stared at her belly. "You're pregnant?"

"Yes," she said in despair.

"…How long?" he asked, shaken.

"I don't know, about five months I think. I know it's not very big. I didn't know for such a long time. I made a lot of mistakes. I drank and smoked. I'm worried it's sick. Asuma, I got extremely ill before the mission—I thought going on a boat was a bad idea. But I shouldn't have kept it secret. I should've gone anyway, I guess…it's just Konoha is so empty, so depressing, and I was so scared that something bad would happen to the kids. But they're just kids aren't they, I guess…I care more about this baby than them. It's true. If everyone knew I was pregnant, I couldn't keep being a sensei. But the kids…they're someone else's, they have parents too…do I also have to be their parent? I don't get how any of this shit works, Asuma, I've been so stressed. Please, help me!"

"…Who's the father?"

When Kurenai didn't respond, he swore loudly and scared her. In a small voice, she said "I…I don't know. Five months ago, it could be…"

"Mine? Hmm, is that what you're going to say? To make me feel better? That it could be mine out of who knows how many candidates?"

"Asuma…"

"Shut the fuck up. You think you're going to manipulate me into feeling sorry for you? That it might be mine, so I've gotta take care of it? Don't fuck with me. I'm not falling for your bullshit. This is your fault. Leave me out of it!" Rage ran through the man; there were certain things that he never wanted to hear, and this was certainly one of those things. "Get out."

She looked as if her world had broken into pieces. "What?"

"GET OUT!" he screamed with such anger that she silently stepped back from him, though she held an expression of misery and guilt that told him everything he needed to hear without words. He didn't hesitate to slam the door and lock it, proceeding to sink to his knees and cry. Her presence remained outside the door for a few minutes before he felt it disappear, and between his angry tears he felt a twinge of hatred for himself.

Only ten minutes went by before another knock interrupted his woe. Afraid it was Kurenai, he refused to answer until he heard Tsunade, in sorrow, announce herself. He opened the door to see her and Kakashi similarly miserable and lost.

"I don't think I can take any more bad news," Asuma said, trying to crack a smile.

The other two exchanged confused glances. "So…you know then?" Tsunade asked.

"I'm guessing she came to you," he replied, looking at Kakashi. "You two were an item for a while back at the academy." When they remained silent, he too became confused. "What is it?"

**XxXxXx**

"You never should have approached me," Shikamaru told Temari while she and Kankuro stood at his bedside. "That's why your brother is missing."

"There is a mistake here," Temari said angrily. "Those soldiers thought we went rebel, or something. They came to you to ask for information, thinking we had leaked material. Of course we wouldn't do that."

"They never told me where your brother was, or what they were expecting to find. Whoever bosses you around, he obviously doesn't trust you." Shikamaru rested his head against the pillow. A television sat on a high shelf in the corner across from his bed; he hadn't touched the remote for it once.

"We are loyal soldiers to the Sunagakure cause," she said firmly.

"And I wish I had been like that to Konoha. What I want to know is why you're here in the first place. You're obviously not on vacation."

Temari frowned. Kankuro shook his head. "Look, she saved your life so you can't ask us anything. I'm going to talk to my dear older sister alone now."

"Well, you're going to have to leave the room because as you can see," he indicated his I.V., "I can't."

Kankuro pulled Temari out of the room. "I still don't like him."

"Do you see what I'm saying though? There isn't any threat from Konoha. Gaara wasn't kidnapped by them; it must be from Suna. But why would they take him back in such a way? And why hasn't Baki returned with any information? I don't like this at all. I think we need to go back to Suna and figure this out."

"How about the fact that my fellow shinobi tried to burn me alive? Dad must be really paranoid if he thought we'd defected just because we were talking to Shikamaru! One quick background check, and they'd see he hasn't performed one successful mission for his village. He's not a threat."

Temari unhappily watched her brother grow angrier. "I know, I know. We'll straighten this out. I think one of us should head back to Suna, while the other waits for Baki."

"I'd like to talk to Dad personally," Kankuro seethed.

"I'll go. You're just going to do something stupid. Plus, I'm stronger than you."

At that point, two people, a boy and a girl, walked by them towards Shikamaru's room. Temari's eyes briefly met with the girl's. She pulled her brother out of the hospital.

**XxXxXx**

Ino stared at the door to Shikamaru's room, feeling like she was visiting a friend that had been gone for years. She didn't know what to say.

"Well, I guess we should go in," Chouji murmured, feeling uncomfortable.

Without saying anything, Ino nodded and knocked on the door. She heard a mumble, barely audible through the wood. She knocked again. The voice grew louder, but became crackly.

"Come in." It strained to be heard.

Ino almost burst into tears. She looked at Chouji with fear, wondering what they were going to do now that they were allowed to go in. His breathing filled her ears until she decided to just open the door.

It swung open slowly, and the two friends met eyes with their bedridden friend.

Immediately, they registered his decrepit and burned body. He was missing a good bit of his hair, and his throat looked almost raw from the skin struggling to grow again.

What caught their attention the most, however, was his face. Shikamaru's detached stare now displayed curiosity, quickly shifting to surprise and almost guilty fear from seeing that it wasn't a nurse that had come to see him.

The silence lasted for what Chouji felt were hours. He kept looking at the floor, worried that Shikamaru would notice him eyeing all of his injuries. To his surprise, he felt a silent chuckle.

"Yup, I look like shit, don't I," he whispered.

Ino made a noise of pain. "S-Shikamaru…"

"I…I'm happy to see you two." When they didn't say anything, he continued hesitantly. "I…I was thinking about what to say. Looks like you came to me first. I'm glad you didn't forget about me. Well, I'm glad you could forgive a fucker like me. Unless you just came to tell me to bugger off, which you're totally right in doing. After a—" a coughing fit took over his speech.

"Should I call a nurse?" Ino panicked, rushing to the button. Before she could reach it, Shikamaru grabbed her hand. It was a weak grip, but she felt four years worth of guilt in his fingertips.

"I should have never become that boy who scared you two away. I screwed you up. I took dad's advice and we did things that we were too young to understand. You were trying to survive. You didn't think."

She saw him remembering that night, and her tears watered his knuckles. "No. I was greedy. I thought 'hey, he's doing much better than me, so it probably doesn't matter if I do it too."

Chouji watched them talk. In order to hide the jealousy that covered his face, he turned away, swallowing. Even now, after witnessing and understanding how low Shikamaru had fallen, he couldn't help but yearn for that confidence his friend once had. Pain lingered in Ino's eyes in such a way that Chouji could tell the old feelings were still somewhere in there. Her soft voice matched well against Shikamaru's scratchy tone, and her hand was caressing his hair. His felt that Ino had secretly been waiting for this opportunity, so she could be a crutch instead of the source of anger.

The loneliness flooded back. She was a good girl, really, but flighty in her emotions. Chouji wanted to leave and collect himself, but he worried about being selfish. Standing in this room, watching them, he realized that in all those years he spent with Shikamaru, he didn't really understand him. They were children together, but that was the only thing that kept them together. After he started to drift away, Chouji clung onto the fading boy just to keep that strength. But, as Shikamaru grew crueler, he knew that he had to let go.

_Why am I here?_

"Hey, Chouji."

Chouji looked over at Shikamaru, and his question was answered immediately. Helpless, Shikamaru smiled very slightly from the attention, and Chouji knew that someone needed him after all. The boy he grew up with had perished in the fire.

"I'm here, Shikamaru."

**XxXxXx**

Wow. I haven't updated in quite a while. In fact, I think I was still only an English major by the time I started this. Now I'm a junior and double-majoring in English AND Theatre!

I'm glad to get this chapter out to you! It's a real turning point in the story, and this is where the overarching plot starts to move into overdrive. I'm feeling much more confident about my writing style. If you notice, the last section of the story was written much later than the first few sections, and I think I've improved quite a bit.

Thanks for being patient!


	22. Elegy to Past

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
Slight AU warning.  
Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!**

Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja trigger a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?

Note: _Italicized lines _often mean thoughts of a character or, in some cases, dreams. They may also indicate song lyrics. **Bolded lines **often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. _**Bolded italicized lines **_often mean flashbacks.

The Author Speaks: There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information will be limes/_possible _lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes.

Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except all the characters are two years older than before the time-skip in the series (13 is 15, 26 is 28, etc). Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire.

Definitions:  
MSAT – Medical Shinobi Aptitude Test  
MSMT - Master of Shinobi Medicine Trial  
kyuubi's little beasts – a colloquialism for the small, ghostlike creatures that fell off the kyuubi and acted as its minions. All tailed beasts have these. Because the tailed beasts are seen as natural disasters in this world, think of them as the lightning that accompanies a thunderstorm.  
filial – relating a child to a parent

Songs:  
"Oats We Sow" by _Gregory and the Hawk  
_"Parody" by _Utada Hikaru_  
"Don't You Know Who I Think I Am?" by _Fall Out Boy_

**Show Me a Hero**

_**Chapter 22 – Elegy to Past**_

Naruto had been to more funerals than he had ever wanted to attend. Konohamaru, the boy with infinite potential, laid buried under the earth. And scarcely an hour ago was his grandfather lowered beside him.

It was a hasty, sad funeral, with almost the entirety of Konoha's shinobi attending it, along with Orochimaru, Kabuto, and a few men from around the country. There were those who were happy to see him gone, and those who didn't care much, but for the people who did care, the event still felt too unreal to believe. Konoha was without a leader.

The question everyone wanted to ask was why he died in such a way. Who would want to murder the leader of a third-class village, especially since everyone knew his senility had gotten worse? It pained Naruto that most of the funeral was spent hushing gossipers while they performed the rites.

He and others paid condolences to Asuma, who seemed almost completely unaffected. Naruto figured he secretly felt terrible, and just chose to hide it. It was a smart choice; it kept people from bombarding him with too many questions.

Trudging through the rain afterwards, Naruto stopped at a soup stand to eat with Sasuke, Sakura, and Shino. They were quiet for most of lunch, not really knowing what to say as they listened to rain drip on the stand's roof.

"He was murdered," Shino said, finally breaking the silence. "I don't mean to gossip like the others, but doesn't that seem strange to you?"

Sakura blew on her spiced carrot soup and rubbed her gloves together. "It's terrifying. Who would do that? And why? Obviously the murderer was skilled—one slash, so precise that it killed him in seconds."

Tsunade had invited her to do an autopsy late yesterday night, after the announcement had been made. Her first experience with a dead body had overcome her, and she emptied her stomach multiple times. Shaking with nerves, she had left the hospital, only to return ten minutes later and help with the procedure. Every time Tsunade had opened his mouth, Sakura imagined him speaking to her.

"I believe it was just a bunch of people upset with the way he was running things," Shino said. "It's strange that they would pick now to do it, because we've been taking steps away from our depression."

"I don't want to talk about this," Naruto said, staring at his simple ramen. "Can't we just let his memory rest for a few hours?"

"I agree," Sasuke said. The gossip brought to mind Itachi's funeral.

They finished their soup in silence. Naruto and Shino went in one direction, while Sasuke and Sakura went towards the house. She shivered.

"It's an unnecessarily cold day. I don't want summer to be over." She kept herself close to him.

He put his arm around her. "Fall's coming up. That means the next class will be graduating soon. It's strange, how much can happen in a year." He paused. Unable to keep his worry to himself, he continued in a somber tone. "What are they going to do? Who's going to run the village? No one's prepared for things like this."

"Tsunade told me the council is going to elect Asuma, because it's always been passed down via blood lines."

"There's no way Asuma's going to do it," Sasuke said.

"I know. They'll have to find someone, somehow."

Naruto stared bleakly at his soup. "I gotta save up," he murmured. "I don't have the money to spend on things like this."

"Don't even say that," Shino commented. "We're all doing okay, because of you. You—"

Naruto hit the countertop forcefully, growling a little. The owner glared at him, and moved back into the kitchen. The other three stared at him, surprised.

"The only reason we even got this far is because Lord Sarutobi helped us. He got those missions to Kakashi, to Asuma, to all the other teachers. He was old, and decrepit, but he never showed that side to us. He killed himself trying to help us. Who else is going to do that for us? Please, tell me who has that kind of faith." Naruto tried to hold back tears.

Sasuke frowned. "What the hell's up with you? Now, we've got so many people who have faith, because we've been so good to this place. You couldn't have been expecting a windfall! You work at it, little by little. Just because he's…gone…doesn't mean we can't keep moving forward. What's with that look?"

"You're one to talk. You had no faith at all." Amidst Sasuke's attempts to interject, Naruto continued. "You wouldn't even look at me or Sakura when we first started this. You were just too good for us, you and your goddamn Uchiha pride."

"Don't bring my family into this," Sasuke replied, his voice beginning to rise. "Obviously I changed, didn't I? Doesn't that go to show what you can do? You act like what we do doesn't matter. Don't get jealous because Kakashi gave me some extra lessons."

"I'm not jealous about that! While you were off playing favorites, I was trying to help a kid feel like a person again."

Sakura looked with remorse at Shino, who merely kept eating his soup. "Don't worry about them," she whispered. "They fight like this all the time. They'll get over it. Everyone's just a little on edge."

"I think you're the one who should be the most worried," Shino said. "Aren't you studying for your exams right now?"

"Yeah. The MSAT is coming up. I'm nervous; Tsunade said it's only got a 27% pass rate. Of course, that's not as hard as the MSMT, with only a 6% pass rate. But, I don't have to worry about that for a long time. Even if you don't pass the MSAT, you can still practice field medicine professionally, but you're severely limited; if you get a low enough grade, you're banned from medical practice on the battlefield." Sakura fidgeted, putting down some ryo for her soup. "Tsunade said she's preparing me to the best of her ability, though. Dr. Yakushi said he would also help me while he's here."

She peered over at her teammates. They had cooled down, and were making small talk while they doled out their money for the soups. Smiling, she stood up. "Well, in any case, I just have to keep positive. I can't get into the shadow of doubt, otherwise I'll never pass."

Shino also stood up, putting his hands in his pockets. The other boys followed. "Good luck with your studying, in any case. I'm going to head home."

"See ya, dude," Sasuke said, shaking his hand goodbye.

Naruto still looked glum. "I'll see you guys later, too. I'm gonna…I dunno, sit in the park or something."

"Do you want company?" Sakura asked.

"Nah, I'd prefer to be alone for now."

Sakura leaned her head against Sasuke's shoulder, watching her friend walk off. "I really hate that he blames himself."

"Give it time," Sasuke said, shaking his head. "That's all we can do for him."

**XxXxXx**

"I never thought I would be visiting Konoha under such sad circumstances," Orochimaru said, gripping his tea cup. His sadness made the lines of his face stand out, and he looked old in contrast to his natural youthfulness.

Tsunade said nothing. She stared into her tea. She had just gotten out of the council meeting, and had been invited over to his motel suite right after.

"I've made a donation in his name. Hopefully that will help keep everything balanced while you determine what to do next." He sipped his drink slowly, unable to look at Tsunade in the eye. Usually he was mentally composed for this sort of thing, but his soul was screaming and ripping away at his throat, demanding the truth to be told. He coughed and smiled. "I remember when he first saw us. I could tell that he wasn't happy about getting 'the weird kids'. Good thing we changed his mind, eh?"

"…You've only got one bed in here," Tsunade remarked quietly.

"I'm sorry?" Orochimaru complied with the subject change knowingly.

"You've only got one bed," she repeated. "Is Dr. Yakushi staying in another room?"

"No," he answered.

She stared at him for a minute. "Wow. I never would have guessed it."

He smiled, unashamed. "We're not in a relationship."

"You're way too romantic. There's no way you aren't dating. Ugh, but he's half your age. Well, whatever floats your boat, perv." Tsunade snickered, shaking her head.

"We are the most professional when we need to be, I assure you. Occasional…dalliances…don't harm anything. Besides, I remember when you used to float my metaphoric boat." He smirked.

Tsunade blushed. "I can't believe I lost my virginity to you. I was expecting someone more devil-may-care, with a fat wallet and baggy jeans."

"I tried to fulfill that as best as I could. Sure, I only wore skinny jeans, but I spent all the money I made on you. You were quite the gold-digger, back in the day. No, I shouldn't say that," Orochimaru mused, sipping his drink. "You were genuinely kind, no matter if I was broke or not. But you did like money. Well, we all do, I suppose. But money never substitutes for character, let me tell you. Some of the men I have to put up with in meetings, why, they act as if their very being is worth gold, when there isn't an ounce of courage in them. They're more rotten than spoiled milk. No worth in any of them. It's a warped world, where the weak can conquer like that." He paused. "Hiruzen didn't deserve any of this. It's a shame. I want to help Konoha, I really do, but nothing's changing. If there's another disaster, you really will collapse. I can't continue supporting you."

Tsunade had stopped responding to him once he started talking about money. When he tilted his head to get a better look at her, he saw she was crying quietly. He embraced her, and kissed her on the top of the forehead. "I miss him too. I loved him so much."

"Orochimaru," she cried into his chest, "I don't know what to do. They appointed me leader of Konoha. Me, of all people. They say I have the most worldly experience, and that I'll bring prosperity. All I did was rebuild the hospital and help a couple of kids realize their love for medicine. What's that got to do with good leadership?"

"People love hope," he replied, rubbing her back in an attempt to comfort her. "They're blinded by it. Sometimes, simple people become extraordinary to others by performing an act of goodness. Whatever you did to change Konoha, people took it to heart. That's when people make the most mistakes—by putting faith in the wrong person, just from one instance." He paused again. "I'm sorry, I'm just rambling. None of this applies to you. I truly think you are extraordinary, Tsunade. You'd make a great leader—not the kindest one, in all honesty, but you'd be effective, which I think is more important."

"You manage to be both," Tsunade remarked.

He smiled. "Nonsense. I'm not kind at all. Before you interrupted me, I was about to say that you shouldn't accept the offer."

She frowned, sure she hadn't heard her friend correctly. "I'm sorry?"

"You would make an excellent leader, but that has nothing to do with the prosperity of Konoha. This town is doomed, I'm sure of it. I don't want to say that, and I never even uttered the thought during Hiruzen's life…but the thought's always been there. Why do you think I left, Tsunade? Perhaps I was being unfaithful to my home, but I never did feel like this was my home." He recounted his past sadly, looking at his friend with guilt. "I felt much more useful—happier, really—in Oto. I helped Konoha more in one year at Oto than my life back there. You've helped Konoha, too, but that was because you left, grew, and chose to return with knowledge that this city never had. You and I are exceptions, Tsunade—we returned because of Hiruzen. Because of the war, this generation has no ties to Konoha at all. Give them the chance to leave, they'll leave in a heartbeat, prosper far away, and never return. Konoha's a dying flower that's been watered only a few times in its life. Soon, people will forget about it entirely, and it will die."

Tsunade listened to his treatise carefully, more depressed than ever. Everything he said rang true. Once the Hyuugas had left, the forces of law were cut in half. After the Uchihas were massacred, there were no policemen left. After the kyuubi wars, whatever progress Konoha had made from those dark times just disappeared into the mud. Even now, with the slow progress the village was making, the death of their leader just shook the faith of the people. Some would say that Hiruzen's death meant a new start to Konoha, but Tsunade couldn't fully convince herself that it was possible to restart. She thought of the woman she saved during her stay…she thought of Naruto, subjected to ridicule from others…she thought of Sakura, eagerly pursuing the MSAT, worried that her teaching won't be enough to help her pass…she thought of Kakashi, quietly sipping beers and regaling her with stories about his students... she thought of Konohamaru's death…she thought of Nawaki, of Dan, of Shizune…

"You should come to Oto, with me. Convince the council to dissolve Konoha's right to shinobi establishment, and abolish the symbol. Let them live as an ordinary village. The remaining ninja can work as police, and you won't have to pay the extra taxes to the Kage Bureau. If you can't convince them of that, then make them the leaders and leave it be. False hope will keep them going for a little while longer, if at all." Orochimaru gazed down at her, caressing her shoulder, smiling gently.

There was a knock on the door in the other room. Both of them ignored it; Tsunade remained in her thoughts, thinking that she would possibly take Orochimaru's advice.

"Hello?" a quiet, unfamiliar voice passed through the door.

Wanting to get up and get out of her gloom, Tsunade removed herself from Orochimaru's embrace and headed to the door. Orochimaru watched her leave, observing the misery in her eyes. He felt so guilty, knowing that even she wouldn't understand why he had killed Hiruzen. He sincerely hoped that she would take his advice and leave the dying city behind, so his only remaining emotional connection would disappear. Then, he could begin what he had planned, and bring the hardworking men and women some peace.

There was another knock at the door, and he heard the door open. He stood up to make some tea for them, also hoping that their visit would be much longer and elapse into intimacy. Not only would it make her more vulnerable to his suggestions, but he would also be able to happily enjoy her embrace once more—something that Kabuto, despite his vigor, could never fully satisfy.

An unnatural silence pervaded the next room. He felt its intensity from his spot in the kitchen. He fixed the tea, curious to hear who it was.

"Get out of here," Tsunade said in a tone comparable to a seething snake.

"I knew this was the right room," replied the other voice, male and deep.

"A joke. After years, you come back and joke. You missed the funeral, you fuck."

"I arrived later than I wanted, trust me. Don't insult me and say I didn't care about him—"

Orochimaru inhaled heavily, his stomach sinking. He had a notion of who it might be. The thought of facing that person again made him vice-grip his teacup, almost cracking the glass. Needing to gather more courage to enter the other room, he ran through hundreds of greetings in his head.

"Care? You left us, you piece of shit!"

"Please, I don't want this to be how we are for the rest of our lives."

"Wow, suddenly I'm in your life again."

"Look, I don't want to point fingers, but it took you fifteen years to come back here—"

"Don't turn this around on me!"

Orochimaru entered the main room, smiling pleasantly. Tsunade looked livid, her eyes teary once again. His gaze met with the man in the doorway's, and he found himself, after so many years, in the presence of his old teammate, Jiraiya.

Jiraiya looked bulky and buoyant, sporting his usual wild white haircut which reached his shoulders. He had red streaks of paint under his eyes to make him appear more menacing to a foe, and was dressed in comfortable green robes. Of the teammates, he certainly had aged the most appropriately by the lines on his face and the small wart to the left of his chin. His youthful good looks were not lost; rather, they had grown into a mature handsomeness. However, the mischievous look that usually decorated his face was replaced by sincere sadness and an earthly grimace. The delight in seeing Tsunade that was hidden behind these emotions faded to discomfort upon noticing Orochimaru, and any warmth he had for the reunion left him. "Orochimaru. I didn't expect to see you, too."

"Well, this is my room," Orochimaru replied with a small laugh, hoping that his ease with conversation would dispel any awkwardness between them.

"Oh. Someone said they saw you," he referred to Tsunade, "heading in here, so…"

"We were just having a conversation about Hiruzen. Reminiscing, really. Care to join us? We must certainly catch up, after all."

Both Tsunade and Jiraiya were taken aback by his offer. Tsunade looked angry. "I don't want him here," she said. "He's just going to bring up all the shit he accused you of before he left."

"Actually, I wasn't," Jiraiya assured. "And if it comes up, it's because you mentioned it."

"Emotions were running high that day, I'm sure of it," Orochimaru said, crossing into the other room, forcing his ex-teammates to follow him as he went back to making the pot of tea. "Anyway, Jiraiya, what have you been doing all these years? I'd love to know."

Aware of the scathing looks Tsunade was giving him, Jiraiya tried his best to ignore them. "Well, I've been traveling. I've gone to a bunch of the poorer countries, like the Lands of Swamps, Neck, and Frost and done some freelance teaching for the local law academies. Basically I've been training, though. Spent a year on this mountain in Stone, and finally perfected my Ultra Spiraling Rasengan. Almost dissolved the bones in my fingers, but whatever."

Orochimaru was about to remark on his accomplishment, but Tsunade angrily interrupted. "Poorer countries? You left Konoha to help _other _countries? What about _Konoha_? We're the poorest they come, and you decide other countries need your heroism."

"I came back for the kyuubi war, didn't I?" Jiraiya spat.

"And the dust had barely cleared when you disappeared, saying nothing to anyone."

"You don't know what happened."

"Please, you ran away, too scared to face us for the things you said."

"Tsunade—" Orochimaru attempted to interject.

"No, I'm not shutting up, Orochimaru. I've waited such a long time to tell him this. Orochimaru left, Jiraiya, to find a better life in Otogakure. But he never forgot about Konoha. He didn't leave saying 'I've got better things to do than remain in a garbage heap where the very leader let liars and villains run circles around him, like he's the goddamn village idiot.'"

Orochimaru observed the patronized glare from Jiraiya, remembering when Tsunade had stormed into his Oto office declaring that those were the final words he had spoken to her and Hiruzen.

"_**After that, he just stormed out! I was going to go after him, but Hiruzen wouldn't let me. Later, I went to his house, but everything was gone. He really had left us saying those terrible things." Tsunade appeared fraught with worry. "He said so many upsetting things before that, too. He said you killed your students, and that you didn't really care about anyone, and that you experimented on your disciples…he called you evil—his own teammate—evil."**_

"At least when I left," Tsunade raised her voice before the abused man could retaliate, "I didn't spit on my team." With that, she stood up, pulling a cigarette carton out of her robe and leaving the room with a slammed door.

This left the men occupying the kitchen awkwardly. Orochimaru finished preparing the tea while Jiraiya sat in silence. Offering a cup to the latter, Orochimaru sat down across from his old teammate.

"Thanks," Jiraiya said hastily. He sipped it. "You always liked tea better than coffee."

Orochimaru saw that his attempts to create conversation were based on filler memories rather than what he truly desired to speak about. He decided to oblige him. "I did. Coffee always made me too excited. Tea has much more range and vitality to it, anyway."

"…I wish Tsunade had been this polite when I had opened the door. I just wanted to put everything behind us, and she has to go and get pissed at me." Jiraiya drunk his tea with enthusiasm.

"Am I being polite? I was hoping to be natural," Orochimaru joked.

This brought a smile to his ex-teammate's face. "I missed you, you sonofabitch."

"Really? Then why did you accuse me of being 'evil' all those years ago?" he meant the question to be friendly, but immediately Jiraiya reverted to his previously dour state.

"Come on, you knew me. I was always the jealous type. I hadn't gotten over you leaving Konoha, and once you became Otokage, I knew you were gone for good. You'd gotten the love of Tsunade, the favor of Sensei, and the freaking Kage title. Meanwhile, I was just trying to keep Konoha together; keeping back Sensei's enemies while making sure Tsunade didn't gamble herself into a hole every week wasn't easy. I remembered those rumors that you used jutsu on your disciples in order to create new ones, and I remembered the Kumo incident, and I just kinda went nuts. It wasn't until after I had left Konoha that I realized just how…nice it was. To be out of there, I mean. I spent years helping out other places that stood a better chance, occasionally feeling guilty that I had so little faith in my hometown."

"You're not alone there," Orochimaru assured with sympathy. "I hoped a miracle would pull the city out of its depression. Instead, I was given a letter informing me of Hiruzen's death. I believe it's the people that we care about, more than the city."

"I agree with you. The only reason I returned was because of him. He sent me a letter, you know, a while ago, asking if I would return to help. I never responded. How horrible is that? I didn't even let him know how I was doing. That man was suffering so much, and I wouldn't even give him the comfort of a reply." Sickened at himself, Jiraiya pushed his tea away and stood up.

"Going so soon?" Orochimaru asked, taking their cups to the sink.

"I'm going to visit his grave," Jiraiya replied. "I missed the goddamn funeral; gotta see him one way or another."

"…And after this visit, you aren't planning to leave Konoha?" Orochimaru suspected something in the way his friend moved about the room. To his expectation, Jiraiya didn't reply. "Because, although Tsunade is truly upset at you, I don't think she'd want to miss an opportunity for the three of us to have lunch together tomorrow and enjoy lighter topics of conversation, do you?"

A small smile crossed his friend's face, and he crossed over to where Orochimaru stood. "I always hated that about you, you know; how you'd say the exact thing to make someone guilty, and so follow every suggestion you gave." He pulled his former teammate into an embrace. "Orochi-dobe...I've missed ya."

"The same to you, my friend."

**XxXxXx**

Asuma lit his six cigarette of the hour, standing by his shaded window quietly. An ashtray sat on the windowsill, bursting full of smoking ash. He threw out the empty carton and paced about his house, quiet, but not thinking of anything. Once again, he parked himself by the cracked window, and listened to the people outside.

His house sat close to the market, so he always found entertainment in eavesdropping on what the locals were talking about. Before, they complained about the state of things and wished each other empty hellos. Recently, however, they've been more optimistic and more willing to be kind to each other. Sociologists would probably have a field day with his observations.

That evening was a different story for him; as hard as he tried, he just couldn't pay attention to anyone else. He felt trapped in his own head, but he didn't really have anything to think about. Upset, and angry that he had no cigarettes left, he departed from his house on the decision that a good walk would make him feel at ease.

A comfortable breeze shook the roofs of the nearby houses, and caused the wheels of the market-carts to creak. The night air smelled fresh from the earlier rain, and the roads undergoing pavement shone new and proud in the brightening moonlight. Konoha certainly did look different. Only someone who had lived there his whole life could see it, but the changes were there.

Only a few people were browsing through the little corner store. Asuma went up to the owner, his friend Taki, and asked for his usual tobacco order.

Taki, a scruffy but friendly man in his late thirties, rang up the other without a question. "Hey," he said in a slow and serious tone, "I'm sorry."

Asuma waited for the cigarettes to ring up. "For—oh. Yeah."

"Doesn't matter how close you are to them, if they didn't do you much wrong, they're worth thinking of every now and then, I say," the storeowner replied.

"Yup."

His friend sighed, and threw an extra pack on the counter. "Don't smoke 'em all tonight, or I'll charge you double next time."

"Thanks, man. I appreciate it." Asuma bid him farewell, and walked back into the cool night without much motivation. He immediately dug into his new pack, eager for some sweet tobacco. Deciding that he wasn't ready to go home, he turned into the apartment district.

He noticed a couple placing a mourning flag on their door. He watched them, amazed that two regular civilians actually cared about the death of his father. He thought back to the funeral, and remembered seeing only about two dozen civilians paying their respects.

All of the old complains came flooding back to him. _"All he does is think about the shinobi, and he seems to forget that we're here too." "He relies too much on the shinobi. We're the true hard workers." "What kind of leader doesn't let his people have representation? Your council is made up of ninja. They don't understand what we go through."_

"_**Stop bothering me with these complaints," Hiruzen snapped at his son as he took his seat in his office.**_

"_**I hear them all the time, Dad." Asuma, young and obstinate, stood short-haired with a tuft of hair that he was attempting to make a beard. He was chewing on the end of a cigarette, organizing some papers in the file cabinets. "You really need to throw all this shit out. It's really unnecessary."**_

"_**Don't tell me what to do." His father always seemed to have little patience for him. "For the love of heaven, put out that damn cigarette. You're only sixteen. If Biwako was here, she'd have a fit." **_

"_**Yeah, Mom would be pissed that you don't know how to organize a goddamn office. Come on, listen to me for a second. Why don't the civilians get any representation in the council? They are just as important as we are."**_

"_**They have representation through our shinobi, you know that Asuma. Each shinobi represents a certain district, and civilians are found in all districts. Therefore—"**_

"_**Yeah, but we don't have their lives. It's not fair to them!"**_

"_**Boy, I don't have time for your rambling. We too must eat, bathe, sleep like them. They create the economy that keeps our village going. We sustain it through our missions."**_

"_**Well, then I don't get why we're not offering them even more benefits," Asuma countered, acting haughty and superior like a normal teenage boy would. "I mean, if they need motivation to go back to work, then why don't we give them some bonuses, or something. People like that, right?"**_

_**Hiruzen shot his son an angry glare. "Are you even listening to yourself talk, boy? If anyone is treating them incorrectly, it is you. You speak of them like they are something different from us, something to look down upon. Your words are sweet, but your motivations are wrong. We can't give them bonuses, Asuma. Look out the window," he gestured towards the view of the city, "and see the smoke that is still billowing from the pits of fire that we have only just managed to extinguish. Try and find your precious restaurants underneath the rubble that we've only just begun clearing. Go to the graveyard and see how it's expanded to three times its size in just one year. Don't you remember the kyuubi's little beasts crushing your arm to the point where we thought you'd lose it? How about when I fought them off of a heap of corpses that were buried in a landslide caused by the monster's foot? Have you forgotten that we lost forty percent of our population in that war? The stalls in the marketplace are empty because the people who manned them are dead. I cannot create life, nor can I just conjure up the money and resources we lost. I have debts to pay, and people to help, but I simply cannot do it more than a fraction at a time."**_

"_**Dad," Asuma remarked, not really understanding his point, "you don't have to pay Otogakure back. Orochimaru said so."**_

"_**I will not be in debt to my student," Hiruzen replied, growing grim. "I could not bear to see him and know that his men died for me, and I did nothing in recompense."**_

"_**Why do you care so much about what he thinks? He was just your student."**_

"_**He was more to me than anyone has been. I cannot fail him anymore."**_

_**Upon hearing his father's praise of Orochimaru, Asuma angrily slammed the cabinet shut and took a long drag of his cigarette. "You know what, Dad? Fuck this."**_

"_**What's wrong now, boy?" Asuma did not stick around to answer, or even listen to anything more his father wanted to say. Upset, unappreciated, and pissed, Asuma walked off to find his brother.**_

Thinking back on all of it now, his father was right. Asuma had just been another idealistic teen, not really understanding the impact the kyuubi war and its casualties had on the village. Sure, he wanted to help the people, but he had been incredibly rude in his opinion of them.

_That was probably one of the only times dad ever spoke openly to me. _For most of Asuma's childhood, his father had been a flighty presence. The stress of his work contributed to almost all of it, and once Biwako had passed away, communication with either of his sons had become strained and impossible. They were hippies, willing to get down in the dirt to stick it to the man—although they were working for the man anyway by being ninja—and had no real respect for what their father did.

Honestly, Asuma still couldn't say he loved Hiruzen, and he knew that Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru had been given all of the love usually devoted to children. That angered him often as a child, and certainly became the cause of his rebellion. By adulthood, he had grown numb to the thought, and Hiruzen became no longer a father, but the man who happened to sometimes be there and feed him. After the death of his brother, he finally severed all familial ties with Hiruzen, only speaking to him when necessary, and treating him as a boss rather than a father. They usually were only in the same room when Konohamaru was concerned; but his death just distanced their relationship further. By the unexpected end of his life, Asuma had no doubt that Hiruzen had been barely affected by this distance—it probably made him more comfortable. Asuma's only regret was that he hadn't respected the old man as much as he deserved it.

A small and decrepit apartment building loomed over him to the left; he had walked right to Kurenai's former complex. He searched for her door, and saw that there was a prominent padlock on the knob—and that it had been severely broken. He frowned, thinking about all of her betrayals, and wondered if the upcoming baby would yield any change in her detestable character. If not, that child would grow up broken.

_Broken…I guess I came from a broken home. I never thought about it before. I'm alright, though. _The more he dwelled on his recent actions, however, the more he saw that he had grown awfully bitter and cold to others. He hadn't visited Shikamaru once at the hospital, nor made any attempts to explore the place where he was hurt. He hadn't enquired on the well-being of either Ino or Chouji, either. Kurenai made an absolutely horrible mistake in hiding her sickness and letting her students on the boat alone, but Asuma had no idea if his own students were okay either.

Kurenai had grown up broken, too. Her father was incredibly cruel and sexist, and would not let her become a ninja despite her desire for it. When she entered the academy without his consent, she spent a week in the hospital, and that's when she started running to men for protection. Though she was a marvelous academy student, she put too much value in insipid things and never understood commitment. In fact, Ino was just like that too. _Why did I choose to let these things pass in front of me as if they didn't concern me? I reproached her for being a bad role model…but what the hell am I?_

Asuma walked up the stairs to Kurenai's apartment. The lock on the door looked recently broken. He very sincerely wished that there were just squatters in there. Unable to control himself, he pushed open the creaky door.

Remarkably, the interior looked reasonably clean, if not a bit bare. A whimper emanated from the darker part of the room. "Who's there?" a weak female voice croaked. "Mr. Amaru? I promise, I can get some money…please don't throw me out again…I'll be going back to work soon, I swear."

"Kurenai?" Asuma tried to flick on the light, forgetting that there would be no power. Only the moonlight creeping in from outside paired with his dimly burning cigarette gave the room any color. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Asuma beheld the poor woman lying down on a couch. It took only a moment to see how ill she was; her breathing sounded unnatural, and the paleness of her skin looked too white. Immediately he dropped down next to her and held her close to him. "Have you moved at all today?"

"I'm sorry." Her voice barely registered as a whisper. "I couldn't make it to the funeral. I tried, but I just couldn't get up."

"Don't apologize," he replied, feeling miserable.

"I decided to go back home after last night. I thought, maybe I could start again once I get some money. As long as my landlord doesn't catch me, it'll be okay. I'll be back soon, I know it." Every breath she took sounded pained. "The baby's been kicking. Even it wants me to get on my feet."

Each word that she uttered to him made him all the more upset. Her foolish optimism aside, he had been the one to induce her to such a state. Angry or not, he had turned out the woman he loved—a sick, abused, tired woman—because of his pride. He couldn't forgive her for her disloyalty, but he couldn't forget her smile. Just one genuine smile from her would light up every corner of his mind, and put him at ease.

Tossing the cigarette away, he held onto her gently. "Can you get up? Let me help." He slowly brought her to a standing position. She shook against him—obviously, she hadn't eaten at all today.

"Where are we going?" she asked, drowsy.

"You can't live here. You'll kill yourself, and the baby too." Asuma brought her outside, keeping her close to him and supporting her with all of his strength. "Don't be stubborn with me. You can't work with a baby on the way. The most you can do is teach, but you sure as hell can't go on any missions."

Kurenai startled him by beginning to weep. "I know. I'm so stupid, Asuma. I've been the most terrible person. It's so easy to get by when you're letting everyone else do the work, but my baby…I can't bear to think of it being hurt because of the stupid things I've done. And those children, they're someone's babies…I gotta take care of them too."

Usually, outbursts of emotion made him uncomfortable, but he almost felt like crying too. "I've done the same things as you. I've been just as terrible. I need to start forgiving and forgetting. You're coming to live with me; we'll be okay."

"I don't want to burden you," she whimpered.

"You won't be."

They arrived at Asuma's house; he led her inside, and closed the door with a small smile.

**XxXxXx**

Indigo skies washed the town in a gloomy blue light. The smell of fresh rain had disappeared, replaced by a typical late summer dryness that made the earth crack and the crickets especially noisy. In the graveyard, fireflies sat on the edges of headstones, making the usually grim place somewhat bright.

Naruto sat at the graves of Konohamaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi, playing absentmindedly with a rock. He didn't know what to think about anything; he had barely recovered from Konohamaru's death when this one struck out of the blue.

_Who would murder Lord Sarutobi_, he thought gravely, watching a beetle crawl over Hiruzen's birth date. _Will there be an investigation? Who will lead Konoha? This can't be happening now. We were going to be great._

Despite the hot air, he felt chilly—scared, even. Lord Sarutobi had always been the rock that held Konoha down, the man behind the leaf. He had spoken at Naruto's graduation, and had given his faith to Team 7. Now, everything seemed different. Soon, it would be a year since graduation, and it seemed like so much had happened.

He heard grass crunching behind him. It seemed a little late for a mourner to pay respects, so Naruto decided to observe the person coming up to the grave. It didn't look like anyone he'd seen before, though the man was definitely a shinobi—though sporting a prominent belly, the man looked quite fit for his age, and the giant scroll on his back was a dead giveaway. At the very least, he certainly hadn't been at the funeral.

"Hey kid," the man said cordially to him, holding a bundle of flowers and a small bell.

"Hi," Naruto replied, not particularly talkative.

Silently, he watched the man place the flowers down and stand over the grave, staring at the inscription while holding the bell. It made little chiming noises whenever the air rustled. The look across the stranger's face seemed much too serious and knowing for him to be just an acquaintance of Lord Sarutobi; this interested Naruto.

"How did you know him?" he asked, curious.

"Oh." The stranger appeared surprised by the question. "He was a friend."

"It's good of you to come all this way to see him. I'm assuming you're not from Konoha?"

"I was born here, but I left a long time ago."

"Really? Not too many people have left here." Naruto wondered how he managed to get out.

"Yeah. I'd say, if you have an opportunity, take it. But that's not important." The man, by his low voice, didn't seem to want to continue talking about it. "I see you've got a headband there. How long have you been a ninja?"

"It'll be a year soon, come fall," Naruto answered, abiding his subject change.

"How's your team coming along?"

"I think we're doing pretty well," the blonde answered, much to the older man's surprise. "We don't really feel like a team anymore, though. We only meet up for missions, and we hang out, but our sensei doesn't really have time to train all of us at once. One of my teammates is studying for the MSAT, and the other is going through physical therapy with my sensei, who also was busy helping Lord Sarutobi. I mostly train by myself."

"The MSAT, huh? That's pretty ambitious."

Naruto noted his surprise, and gave a small smile. "I bet this must sound strange to you. There's this woman, Tsunade—she assisted Lord Sarutobi—who came sort of out of nowhere and began putting Konoha back together. I think people are impatient with her progress, but it's not like she can recover this place overnight. Anyway, she's teaching my teammate." He stood up to leave. "I know this place might look even worse from when you left, but I know it's going to improve. Lord Sarutobi was a great man, and I don't want to feel like his death," he gazed at the grave, "means the end of the world. That's how I felt when his grandson—I don't think you would have met him, but he's buried right there—died, but that's just self-defeating, really. Konoha's stuck in a self-fulfilling prophecy, and I don't care if what I want sounds idealistic, because it's better to try and fail than fail without trying. It's when people run on hope, not fear, that the greatest changes to the world are made. So a lot of people may see Lord Sarutobi's death as the true end of it all, but I never will."

The conviction and drive in the boy's voice reminded Jiraiya of Orochimaru. He had confidence, passion, and an understanding of the politics that surrounded him. If anybody could make a difference, it was this kid, and that enthusiasm made him smile too. "What's your name, kid?"

"Naruto," he replied, "Naruto Uzumaki."

Jiraiya froze upon hearing his name. He quickly took in the boy's features—tan, blonde, of a somewhat shorter height; nothing that would indicate anything special to him, but once noticing his whiskers, the name's familiarity rushed back to him.

"Thanks for listening, mister—um, I don't think I got your name either."

Before Jiraiya could reply, Naruto suddenly let out a shrill scream. Immediately afterward, his breath cut out and he started gasping heavily. His body seized, and he crumbled to the ground, shaking. "Dammit," he moaned, "not now, not now…"

"Wh-what's wrong, kid?" Not knowing what had come over Naruto, he remained still, unsure of how to react.

"I-I'm sorry to bother you, but…" the boy let out another scream, and began to roll around on the ground, "…can you please…take me t-to 184 Hyacinth Road, that's my house…drop—DROP ME OFF—d-drop me off…I'll be fine…just leave me in my bed." His next scream ripped through the air, sounding way too devilish and large in comparison to his small body.

Jiraiya realized exactly what Naruto was going through. He picked up the boy without hesitation, and rushed out into the dark roads, looking for said address. All the while, his mind remained in a different place, back almost sixteen years.

_**Black smoke covered the air; blood and filth painted every inch of ground around Jiraiya. His squadron had succeeded in clearing out the beasts from the area; but the kyuubi remained hidden in the forest, and he knew the place would be flooded again soon. Without a second thought, he ordered his ninja to search for any civilians, assist the wounded, and collect the dead. **_

_**He alone wandered into the remains of a small house; remarkably, the roof remained intact, though the inside was ravaged. A broken light bulb flickered above the shinobi as he waded through the debris, sure that he had heard human voices within.**_

_**His intuition had not led him astray. In the back room of the house, presumably the bedroom, two figures were intertwined in a most unnatural and disturbing way. A man with a head of spiky blonde hair held onto the broken body of a red-haired woman. She had been instantly killed by the beasts that had infested their home, and looked to have been almost snapped in half—Jiraiya noticed her spine protruding from her back. Still, the man embraced her tightly, sobbing. Upon hearing the shinobi's entrance into the room, he fell backwards and pulled out a bloodstained knife. "Stay away, you damn creatures. Leave us alone!"**_

_**Seeing the misery on the man's face made Jiraiya's breath vanish for a moment. "Sir," he spoke calmly, "you're safe now. Let me just get you out."**_

"_**I'm not leaving Kushina," the man cried, shaking his head. "No, no, I'm not leaving her."**_

_**Obviously the man was in such a shock that he didn't see that his wife lay dead. Jiraiya stepped over the split floor and reached his arm out. "I'll see to it that Kushina is safe."**_

"_**My boy. My boy my boy my boy," he began uttering quietly amidst wet, wailing gasps. "My boy, please save my boy."**_

_**Jiraiya put his hand on the crazed man softly. The man turned his aqua gaze on the shinobi; that's when the latter noticed a piece of wood running through the man's chest. He let out a soft cry of sorrow, angrily accepting that this man, too, would soon die.**_

"_**My boy. Please save my boy."**_

"_**Tell me your name," Jiraiya said, taking his hand and attempting to ease his mind, assuming that his words came from disengaged, dying thoughts. "Your wife's name was Kushina? What about you?"**_

_**It took the man an uncomfortably long time to answer, so long that Jiraiya was sure he had died, until he finally spoke, "Minato."**_

"_**Minato, good. Everything will be fine, Minato. You and Kushina will be just fine."**_

_**A smile came over the dying man's face; his lips were cracked, his face white. "I was going to ask her to marry me, you know. I had the ring picked out. She would've loved it—it was sapphire. She liked those much more than diamonds."**_

"_**That's beautiful, Minato. You're a very thoughtful husband." Minato cried out in pain, and Jiraiya squeezed his hand. **_

"_**Please, save my boy. My boy…my boy." **_

_**At this point, Jiraiya still thought he was moving in and out of sanity, until Minato, using whatever strength he had left, groped around the floor for a blanket that lay behind him. Pulling it away revealed a baby boy, barely a year old, with tufts of blonde hair growing on a fat, bald head, and eyes just as piercingly blue as Minato's. At first glance, Jiraiya thought him to be dead, but the baby's chest moved ever so slightly up and down. Immediately, Jiraiya grabbed the boy and cradled him in one arm while holding onto Minato.**_

"_**My boy," Minato said, his face brightening. "Kushina, look at how he sleeps. He's so sweet." He reached out his sooty, bloody fingers towards his boy, and touched him gently on the cheek. "Naruto."**_

_**Not a second had passed after uttering his son's name that he died. Jiraiya held onto the peaceful, sleeping infant, wanting to remain in the house and stay with the deceased couple. An explosion sounded outside the home, and screaming filled the air. **_

"_**It's right on top of us! It's going to crush us! What do we do?"**_

_**Somehow, throughout the commotion, Naruto kept on sleeping. Jiraiya stood up, took a long breath, and darted out of the house. Hundreds of feet above him, the kyuubi's massive body cast a shadow over the entire village; beasts were popping out of its flesh in clouds of chakra. Konoha squads railed against the kyuubi's legs in an attempt to push it back, while Oto squads began intricate jutsu formations to cripple the monster. Gasping for breath in the choked air, with a baby in his arm, Jiraiya took off to the mountaintop.**_

_**Scarcely three hours later, with Naruto still under his protection, he would make and execute the toughest decision in his life.**_

**XxXxXx**

Tsunade downed her whiskey shot with no effort. Years of drinking had made her immune to heavy taste of alcohol, and she never worried about gagging up her shot like an immature teen.

Not too many people populated the bar that evening; she certainly wouldn't have been out if not for the heavy load laid upon her that morning. Occasionally, she'd think about Jiraiya's return and just get more irritated. Sure, he was true in saying that she too left Konoha abruptly, but her reasons were pretty justified. Any attempt she had made to talk to him during the kyuubi war was met with militarily-minded indifference, and he did essentially vanish once the kyuubi had been sealed away. Something about his behavior in the final hours of that battle seemed off to her, but she could never really understand why.

In all honesty, his arrival made her happy, and she looked forward to breakfast with her teammates. She wouldn't let this pleasantry be known, though; Jiraiya still deserved some scorn from her while he remained.

Her thoughts returned to the big question. To lead, or not to lead?

She had been so absorbed by her inner arguments that she didn't realize Kakashi had placed himself beside her and ordered them both rum and cokes. Flushed with apology, she greeted him and claimed she had been oblivious to everything around her.

"I take no offense. I'd be pretty introverted too if I had to make such a decision." He stirred his drink and took a gulp. "Man, this does wonders to the nerves, I swear."

"What am I supposed to do?" she cried out unexpectedly. "Both Orochimaru and Jiraiya have told me to give up on this place, that I should tell the council to dissolve our contract with the Kage Bureau and remove our 'hidden' status. It's not like we would be denied; Orochimaru's favor is the only thing keeping us in the Bureau's ranks in the first place."

"Wait, Jiraiya? He's back?" Though not well-acquainted with the man, Kakashi nonetheless knew his name and the weight it carried.

"He arrived after the funeral."

"Personally, I'm surprised that they would say that to you. Orochimaru's always had a little faith in us—I mean, he's been supporting us all these years."

"That's because he cared for Hiruzen. They were like father and son, those two. Orochimaru's allegiance to Konoha only came from a sort of filial love."

Kakashi stirred his drink. "You don't think he's going to abandon us?" he asked nervously.

"No, that's not what I meant. We'll stay allies, but he won't be as confident in us as he's been before." She downed her drink in under a minute, and ordered another. "Hiruzen never would have listened to them about this, but maybe it's the right thing to do. There'd be much less of a burden on our people, and the shinobi could get regular jobs without having to wait around for any missions that probably won't come our way."

"Our first obligation is to protecting Konoha. We can't just have our security forces stuck in a factory. What if something happens? I get the appeal in dissolving our status, but it's not that easy. We still have trained shinobi," he reminded her. "They'd have to give up their status, otherwise they'd be marked missing-nin or vigilantes. Most of them will probably move to Otogakure, because you know Orochimaru will welcome them with open arms. You've gotta realize that, though he's your friend, he's a political genius. His ranks would increase, and we'd be left defenseless."

"Are you suggesting he'd absorb us into his territory?"

"He'd probably think of it as extending a helping hand. I don't doubt it. He'll sweet talk you and the daimyo into ceasing the middle lands to him. I can't believe you're not thinking about these things."

Tsunade frowned, staring at her freshly made drink. "I have been…maybe I'm okay with all of that." Before Kakashi could argue, she set her hand down on the counter and turned to look at him full-on. "I know you're going to argue, but what's so wrong with Konoha returning to where it began?"

"Wow," he laughed, almost bitterly. "I can't believe you're actually considering this. Don't—listen to me," he snapped, putting his hand on hers with command. "When Lord Sarutobi's father brought his people here from Otogakure, they were looking for a new start to life. Now, we have people who wish their lives were better. Your sensei left us with a pretty damn big mess to clean up, and I'm not going to let you dismiss it and let Orochimaru claim what was never his. It's the people, not the land, who made this village."

"Who ever made you the champion of the people?" the impatient woman countered. "Are you considering them in this equation?"

"From what I saw this morning, the shinobi aren't ready to give up, and I'd say that's a damn good sign that something was going right for once. And as for the civilians, we'll work with them, rather than lord over them. Dammit, Tsunade, I never expected you to just give up like this. I am not letting anyone's death be in vain just because you're too scared to give it a try. Let's think about what you have done: given us a hospital, started a medical training program, kept data organized, built a hotel, cleaned up the parks, and we're repaving the roads…all of this, by the way, coming from the successful missions we've managed to convince others to give us." Kakashi lowered his voice. "And if you go to the council tomorrow, and tell them that you're giving up, I'm going to argue for my own leadership."

"What?" she hadn't expected such a threat from this man. "You'd lead Konoha?"

The determination that lit his eyes prevented Tsunade from dismissing his claim as a joke. A young, romantic wisdom burned in his gaze. She'd never seen such a look from him before.

"We promised that we'd save Konoha." He meant his former teammates. "I spent a long time after their deaths lamenting that promise. Now, we're at that point where we've gotta try again. We fight—fight until we can't. I'm not going to die like my father; like a coward, giving up before the worst was over."

She cast her head down.

"Remember that your teammates haven't been here. They haven't seen what we have. All the shit that we went through in that war—Otogakure's loss can't compare to ours. Yet, even though things got bad, there was always someone trying to make it better. When Obito and Rin petitioned to the Bureau for better missions, sure, I was against it. I didn't see the point. And the Bureau didn't listen. But then they just went out and found their own way, no red tape involved."

"They died, though. Their money, gone. All of that effort…"

Kakashi frowned, as serious as ever. "I wasn't there for them. I got greedy. I thought, 'why don't we keep some of this money? We earned it, after all.' Obito told me that it wasn't for us. Rin said Konoha needed it, and someday we'd get some ourselves. I didn't buy it. So we argued. I told Obito that I wasn't going to help, otherwise I'd just end up taking some. He told me not to come. An hour later, I found out they've been murdered by an unknown assailant right in the forest, and the money was gone. Ever since then, I stopped living. I started drinking, and I stopped caring. Everything slipped away, and nothing seemed important. It wasn't until Sakura came to my doorstep last fall, begging me to help her train, and yelling at me, that I snapped right back and realized…life may not always deal you the right hand, but you're still gambling. Keep shuffling, and you'll end up with something."

"A gambling metaphor. I like it," Tsunade joked wearily. Moved by his conviction, she nonetheless seemed depressed. "But gambling's about luck."

"Depends on your game. We get to create our own," Kakashi replied. "Lord Sarutobi hadn't given up on Konoha—he'd given up on himself. That's what people don't see. If you really want to find a reason to keep going—just stop looking at the city. Look at the people. When you're done looking at each person, tell me then if you're ready to move on or not."

With that, he stood up and put down enough money for both their tabs. Before she could protest, he waved at a few civilians playing pool in the corner, and left.

Tsunade remained at the counter. After a few minutes of replaying Kakashi's words in her head, she turned and looked at the pool table. The three men were buff, but it appeared to be mostly from manual labor. They seemed like three ordinary men, insulting each other during bad shots but smiling and laughing all the same. A few beer bottles littered the table by them—cheap, but nostalgic brews that someone could always enjoy with friends. She smiled. For all the negative things she had to say about the town, it never dawned on her to actually take a look around and see what the people were feeling.

Yet, she couldn't help but believe that Kakashi was an idealist. What was she to do? Listen to her teammates and dissolve the "hidden" status, effectively abolishing shinobi and pushing them to find other jobs; or listen to Kakashi and keep the status, and keep trying?

She remained at the counter long after the bar closed, staring at her reflection in a bottle. It wasn't until the sun shone through the windows and the owner unlocked the door and came in that she stood up and left.

**XxXxXx**

Sasuke yawned loudly while pouring his medium roast into a chipped mug passed down from his father. He added some soymilk, sugar, and cherry syrup. Not many people knew just how girly he liked his drinks, and he didn't mind keeping it to himself.

The steam tickled his nose as he carried it outside. The morning contrasted the day before; the sun shone, the breeze was scarce, and the air was dry. He didn't really know what to expect during the Commencement speech later that morning, nor did he know what was commencing. He knew that Tsunade had to speak, but what she had to say, he hadn't a clue.

Outside in his backyard, Kabuto had the undivided attention of an eager Sakura. Every word he said, she jotted down without hesitation into a notebook. She repeated to herself his hand signals every time he would use one. On a chair nearby, Orochimaru sat reading.

Sasuke realized the strange nature of his backyard at the moment. Behind his little house on the outskirts of the village, the greatest medical practitioner of the age was teaching his young teammate the cons of using pure chakra to heal lacerations, while the most successful leader alive sat nearby, sipping on iced tea and cozying up with a book.

Cautiously, he sat next to Orochimaru and sipped his coffee while watching Sakura and Kabuto spar. Sasuke was particularly amazed at how great of a teacher Kabuto was. He listened to every one of Sakura's rookie questions with patience, and didn't hesitate to repeat himself several times so she could fully grasp his theories. Every answer she gave he met with patience, and rewarded her with a smile whenever she was correct, and a gentle correction when wrong. The time and effort he put into this one lesson seemed incredible; Sasuke wondered how the Academy would be if they had more teachers like Kabuto.

"She'll pass the MSAT with flying colors," Orochimaru remarked cheerfully. "Kabuto helped write part of the current edition, you know. He's giving her inside secrets."

"Good. She's been studying for such a long time." Sasuke took another sip of his sweet coffee. "Are you sure I can't make you anything?"

"I already had breakfast," Orochimaru assured, "With Tsunade and Jiraiya, in fact. It was quite pleasant."

"So, the teammates are back together," said Sasuke.

"Well, I'm certain it won't be for long. Hiruzen's death brought us together briefly, but we'll return to our lives soon."

"I can't imagine what Konoha was like in your day," said the younger one, drinking his coffee. His voice implied that he wanted a description, but Orochimaru was in no mind to give it to him. Rather, the cunning man saw an opportunity to segue into his next topic.

"What sort of life will you be returning to, Sasuke Uchiha?"

Sasuke frowned, hesitant to reply. Rather than ask Orochimaru what he meant, however, he thought about it while finishing his coffee. He watched Sakura briefly, and crooked his head toward his house, and then to Konoha beyond. "Well, it'd be back to the usual thing, I guess. Missions when we get them, training, and part-time work."

"I hate to be frank, but doesn't that seem…boring, to say the least?" Orochimaru observed Sasuke's confusion with a gentle smile. "Surely that's not what you want out of life."

The Uchiha really didn't know what prompted the sudden Q and A. "Sure it does, but it's not bad. I like knowing what I'm gonna do next. If I stick to the routine, eventually…" he hesitated. "…Eventually, something will happen."

"This is truly something that I shouldn't bring up so close to a tragedy. Yet, I can't seem to stop myself. I've been thinking about this…situation…for a long time: 'What would happen when Hiruzen died?' Well, Hiruzen has now passed, and, for the first time, Konoha is without a leader. Perhaps you should think about that. This is the opportunity to make a clean break."

Sasuke couldn't believe the implication underneath Orochimaru's carefully placed words. Sure, the Otokage's discreetness might work on many people, but he saw the blatant intention. "Are you implying—"

"You're right. I should be honest with you. I've seen your progress this past year, and I'm impressed by what I've seen. I'm offering you a spot as one of my students. Now," Orochimaru slowed his talk, seeing Sasuke's shock, "I know you're under contract with Konoha. However, I have reason to believe that the contract is under threat of dissolving. Even if it doesn't happen right away, without an actual leader, Konoha will default to council rule, and they will most likely choose to dissolve the hidden status. When that happens, I will personally take you under my wing."

Nothing could stop Sasuke from being honored. He grew red, accepting every one of the man's words as flattery, and even the skepticism of Itachi's circumstances vanished for a moment. However, certain insinuations remained with him. "What makes you think we won't have a leader? And that the council will dissolve our hidden status? If that happens, there will be hundreds of shinobi without a job."

"Many of them have no jobs now," reminded Orochimaru.

After the initial glee of being invited to such a prestigious position, the reality hit Sasuke. If Konoha had no leader, the Kage Bureau would hear from the council—a council made up of either complete naysayers, or conservative-minded types who wouldn't change anything from Hiruzen's rule. They would never agree on anything, nothing would get done, and people would suffer as a result. If that happened, people might even petition for dissolving, especially when concerning threats from other hidden villages. But, what would happen to Naruto, or Sakura, or Shino…hell, anyone from his graduating class? What would Kakashi do?

"I, I get that," stammered Sasuke, too many thoughts pouring into him, "but…I can't just…I can't just leave…." Doubt haunted him. He tried to find something to hold onto. He gazed at Sakura across the yard, and once again was acquainted with the beautiful keenness of her eyes. That determination had stayed with her through the year, even when he attacked it on their first meeting day. Ashamed that he could be so easily doubtful, he addressed Orochimaru's offer. "Why do you think I should be your student?"

"For various reasons. One, because you're a powerful shinobi. Two, because I know you have drive equal to mine, and—as you can see—that gets people places. Three, because, as an Uchiha, I know you don't tolerate the weak-hearted."

"Weak-hearted?" Sasuke didn't quite understand.

"Those who prevent progress. Those who cannot adapt to change, or keep the well of humanity dry. Those who care not to better themselves. Those who, if they ran the world, would destroy it with their idealism." Orochimaru's manner had shifted from calm and pensive to almost bitter. It put Sasuke off, and made him uncomfortable. Barely an instant had passed, however, before the former went back to his normal, gentle self.

"Well—if you put it that way," thought Sasuke, "I guess I agree with you. But I don't think anyone in Konoha is weak-hearted, really. I think we're just tired. Some of us want to sleep now, and others are willing to put the work forth to help us get the best sleep we can, even if that'll take a long time. That was kinda a stupid metaphor, but you get it."

Orochimaru stayed silent for a long time. As if he had never asked a question, he went back to watching Kabuto and Sakura. Sasuke took the awkward opportunity to get more coffee. Upon returning, Orochimaru seemed ready to continue. "Your brother thought that way as well."

"I sort of remember him being that way, yeah." Sasuke sipped the lukewarm caffeine. "But I don't really know too much of what he really thought." Images of that night crept into his reflections, and he shivered. "Before the…incident…he got really paranoid. He started talking about how useless everyone was, and that people shouldn't think on their own, because all we do is destroy. H—"

"That's enough," said Orochimaru mildly. "It still upsets me."

"What happened to him?" Finally, he had the courage to ask.

"The Sharingan did. I'm not an Uchiha, so I know very little about it. When Itachi came to train with me, I confess I had quite the interest in the kekkei genkai. However, only your clan would be able to tell you why he lost his mind. I don't doubt he strained his Sharingan to the point that it cracked his reality. After all, the genjutsu you can perform with the thing is remarkable. I told him to take it slow, but, Uchiha are stubborn."

"Why didn't my family see the symptoms?"

"They couldn't have foreseen the power that your brother managed to tap into. The mind is a very mysterious place, and, somehow, Itachi transcended the human within him and changed. Perhaps it's a good thing that you can't use Sharingan," admitted Orochimaru. "It would break my heart to see such a thing happen again."

The thought of literally breaking his mind scared the boy, but not enough to destroy his longstanding resolve. "Well…I'm not my brother. I'm not weak-hearted."

"You think Itachi was weak-hearted?"

"Well, in the sense that he let—no, _made—_the world crumble around him. If I had the Sharingan, I wouldn't lose my mind; that I can guarantee you. I wouldn't push myself like that," declared Sasuke. "But, going back to before…I can't know the future for sure. I need to work for today, and just hope the future gets better. I'm not going to promise something, if it means abandoning my friends. We promised each other something—and that means a lot to me."

Kabuto and Sakura were approaching them, apparently done with the lesson. Sasuke watched Sakura's excited expression near him, while Orochimaru observed Kabuto's satisfaction.

"If you choose to become my student," Orochimaru said, "I can bring your Sharingan back."

Sasuke, bewildered, could find no words in reply. He felt his heart beating, his blood pumping through him, and heard his breath. Orochimaru's utterance entered into his system and ran his body for a few moments. Each day since he stopped being innocent, the Sharingan had been his only goal. And, finally, here was the supposed opportunity.

Sakura broke his spell by plopping on the chair's armrest and drinking his cooled coffee. "I can't believe it's already eleven. Five hours, and I feel so much smarter!"

"We have plenty of time to spare before the council's speech at one," Kabuto remarked, smiling at his master. "Perhaps we should all get some lunch?"

Orochimaru stood up, beaming. "I think we should leave these two for a while. Let Sakura rest, she's been through your training after all. I have some things to discuss with you before the speech, anyway. Is that alright with you two?"

"Sure," piped Sakura, holding her notebook against her tightly. "Thank you so, so much for this chance, Dr. Yakushi. I can't believe you were so kind as to do this for me."

"Oh, Sakura," crooned the bespectacled man, "it was my pleasure. I look forward to your initiation this fall."

She blushed and looked at her teammate excitedly. "Yeah! Me too!"

Kabuto went into the house to pick up his briefcase, and Sakura followed enthusiastically, wanting to be as much help to him as possible.

Orochimaru made his way to the door. "Don't feel like you must be hasty with a decision. See how the future goes…and when you're ready, give me your answer."

Sasuke said nothing.

**XxXxXx**

_It's so dark, _Naruto thought, floating formlessly in his head. _But I feel so warm. This isn't how it normally is._

Underneath him, Kurama sat angrily in his cage. The usual chakra lines that appeared during this state weren't there. _**You're not feeding me properly, boy.**_

_Well, I can't exactly do anything about that. Usually you just take it from me. _

_**I have to sit, hungry and weak, within you for months at a time, and you complain when you have to experience the same thing for merely a week? **_

_The only reason you even have thoughts and feelings—the ONLY reason you're even remotely sentient—is because of me. So, if you just disappeared, then you wouldn't have to feel weak or hungry._

_**Perhaps I enjoy humanity, boy.**_

Naruto began to feel his form return. He was awakening.

_**The damn warrior, he's doing this. I knew I recognized his magic.**_

_You mean chakra._

_**Chakra, magic—what's the difference? Because of his black arts, I'm here. Oh, how I'd love to rip him to pieces and feed on every last bit of his sweet magic.**_

Kurama's cage began to disappear. Naruto saw his body reflected in the darkness, and he felt the softness of sheets.

_What warrior?_

Naruto awoke. Without much effort, he sat up and found himself in his bed. The man he had met in the cemetery sat next to him, reading what appeared to be a perverted graphic novel.

Jiraiya noticed him to be awake, and tried to hide his book from sight, but the damage was already done. Naruto cracked up.

"Okay, kid, this isn't as weird as it seems—I just, I applied the chakra, and I was waiting for you to get up, and we got out of breakfast early, so I needed something to amuse myself, and I don't like to read, but—okay, um—yeah." The older man cleared his throat and put the book in a robe pocket.

"I'm going to honest with you, sir, I've never woken up and seen something like _that_," Naruto said, laughing heavily. It felt nice; he hadn't laughed in a while. When the amusement subsided, he smiled. "Thanks for bringing me home."

"Yeah, it's no trouble. You seemed to be going through something quite bad, there."

"How long has it been, by the way? How many days?"

"You only slept through the night. I made sure to cure you before anything bad happened."

Puzzled, but also elated in knowing that he hadn't been out of commission for a long time, Naruto was eager to both thank and question the man. "How did you 'cure' me?"

"Well, I just opened up the Four Symbols Seal temporarily, and blocked the Trigrams Seal from being accessed by Kurama, who—"

There was no possible way the man sitting by him could know anything about the information he was giving. Suspicious at his knowledge, Naruto jumped off the bed and backed up. "Hold on. Who the fuck are you?"

Jiraiya realized his mistake immediately. "Oh, um—I mean—"

"How the hell do you know about Kurama? How would you know I'm a jinchuuriki, let alone the type and _name _of my beast? Only I can know its name! And how the hell did you know how to stop it? What are these seals you're talking about?" Naruto craved to know the answers, repeating "Who are you?"

Jiraiya let the air clear before he responded, this time afflicted with a grave manner. "I told you at the cemetery, I used to live in Konoha, and that I was a friend to Lord Sarutobi. Well, I was more than a friend—I was his student."

That took the boy aback. "So, you're Tsunade, and Orochimaru's…?"

"Yep. I'm their teammate, Jiraiya. Not exactly as famous around the area, that's for sure. Anyway, I left shortly after Orochimaru became Otokage…but I returned to fight in the kyuubi war. I...oh, heavens…" he strained to continue.

Naruto felt the pain in his voice, and decided to try to fit the puzzle pieces himself. "Did you…meet…it?"

"Well, we all met it, in a sense," continued Jiraiya, "but yes, I met it personally, after it had taken a piece of your humanity and became sentient."

Unable to keep his astuteness at bay, Naruto started answering his own questions just by feeling the dread stemming from Jiraiya's words, and remembering his uncommon knowledge from earlier. His conclusion terrified him, but he decided to continue. "You…Jiraiya…did you…" now he was at a loss for words, and it fell to Jiraiya to complete his thoughts.

"Seal the kyuubi within you?"

Naruto swallowed. "…Yes."

No answer. That was enough to give Naruto the truth. Struggling with the strength to continue talking, Naruto said to him, "Lord Sarutobi told me that my dad sacrificed himself to seal Kurama inside me."

"_**No!" cried Hiruzen, sitting in a classroom in the Academy, far away from the fighting. "Under no circumstances will you even think of performing such a heinous action!"**_

_**Jiraiya, bloodied, panting, and cradling the baby Naruto, would not listen to his former teacher. "It'll kill all of us at this rate. The Oto forces are being destroyed; if this continues, nothing will be left of either of our villages!"**_

"_**You are suggesting your own death, you absolute idiot. You are too selfish to end your life in such a way; I know you. You're not the martyr type," spat the older man. "Orochimaru will be making his way here, soon, we can strategize then."**_

"_**Why do we always have to wait for HIM?" Unable to put aside his juvenile envy of Hiruzen's favorite student, he grew more definite of his decision. "If I use the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, I can drain its chakra. It'll disappear."**_

"_**At the cost of your life."**_

"_**Who cares? I'll be saving thousands of people. You wouldn't compromise your village because your student would be the one doing it, huh? I'm the only one who can do this properly."**_

_**Hiruzen recognized a change in Jiraiya's demeanor; he was more brash, more serious. He eyed the baby. "Please tell me you haven't changed your world view because of this boy."**_

"Your father, huh." Jiraiya shook off his robe from his hand. At that point, Naruto noticed that his right hand was fake.

"Can you still use chakra in that hand?" Naruto wondered out loud.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah. It was a difficult process, but I can. I expend just a little more chakra than I normally would, though, so I try not to fight so hard these days." Jiraiya was comforted by Naruto's mood. Despite the truths being revealed to his young mind, he seemed able to calmly accept them like a wise man.

"It was you, wasn't it? My dad…he wasn't even a shinobi, I bet."

Spot-on. "Hiruzen told you what he did for good reason."

"I know. He wanted to spare you my, and probably a bunch of other people's, hatred. But he didn't have to worry about that."

"I didn't want it to end up like that," said Jiraiya truthfully.

_**Jiraiya screamed, feeling the death god rip through him and suck the life out of both him and the kyuubi. The little beasts began evaporating in the midst of the battle. His hand began to fail him; however, the kyuubi was still in existence. **_

_**Naruto cried in his other arm. Why he hadn't put the boy somewhere safe, the warrior had no clue. Perhaps he thought his arms were the safest place. Perhaps he wanted someone to be there when he died. Now, his thoughts were for naught.**_

_**The seal failed. Yes, the kyuubi's chakra had been severely reduced, but it still managed to maintain a form. Jiraiya's hand turned black; it was dead, a consolation prize for the eager death god, who vanished with a chilling laugh. He began to cry, along with the boy, cradling him as he fell to his knees. The kyuubi sunk to the ground, moaning in supposed pain, weakened by the effort.**_

_**Naruto grabbed Jiraiya's cheek. "Hero," he hiccupped.**_

_**The warrior gasped in surprise and wretchedness. "No, I'm no hero. I failed everything. Oh, Naruto, I wanted to save all of you. The seal failed…" Upon finishing that thought, another one grew in his mind. It was a blasphemous, terrible one, something that surely would send Jiraiya to hell for even thinking of it. Yet, he had the kyuubi at a weak moment, and the power at his disposal.**_

_**He watched Naruto's little face contort and squeeze in innocent confusion, discomfort, and boredom. Wiping the tears from his bright blue eyes, he smiled sadly. "If we ever meet again, please know, you have every right to kill me. It's not me, Naruto…you're the true hero."**_

Untold up until the final lines of his recollection, Jiraiya repeated the words to the sixteen year-old boy sitting near him. He had purposefully left Konoha in the hopes that he would never see Naruto again, because he could not bear the guilt that the boy's azure gaze would surely give him.

"I wouldn't kill you," whispered Naruto, looking straight at him.

"Don't be good to me. I don't deserve it."

"No, you do. You saved Konoha." Naruto smiled then, throwing Jiraiya completely off guard. "I've been lonely, yeah. But that's just a part of growing up, isn't it? I found friends that I'd fight for, and a city to build, and that's good enough. I'm not going to change, just because I finally found out why I'm a jinchuuriki. In fact, I feel lighter than ever."

Though Jiraiya had known Minato for only a moment, he had seen a kindness and patience in the man that was now evident in his son. Naruto watched him with the same calm, trusting gaze that belied a strong, protective nature. For the first time since his transgression, Jiraiya felt relaxed on the matter.

Something about the boy made him recant everything he had shared with Orochimaru the day before. He quickly regretted strengthening his ex-teammate's argument, and hoped that Tsunade would make the right decision in the speech—which would be commencing in scarcely a half-hour.

"Oh!" Naruto remembered the event as well. "I should get going to the speech."

It took a moment for Jiraiya to be comfortable with Naruto's easy manner, especially considering the weight of their earlier discussion. "Yes, that'll be happening soon."

"We should go together, then. You can meet my friends—unless you're leaving."

Jiraiya made a choice that moment, and let it be known. "No…I'm not leaving. Actually, I wanted to ask you something. I'm quite knowledgeable with Kurama's chakra levels and output, as well as on how to manipulate the seals to give you access to its chakra, without directly contacting it. It's essentially an untapped reservoir you have. If you trust me—and I don't understand why you would, though you've proven yourself astonishingly forgiving—that I know what I'm talking about…perhaps I could train you on what I know."

An offer from someone as illustrious, and mysterious, as Jiraiya made Naruto feel quite honored. Honestly, he liked the man. He had expected fury of all sorts when learning of their connection; after all, Jiraiya's actions caused him to grow up lonely and unhappy. Regardless, he no longer held any resentment toward his circumstance, and he had stopped asking 'why' a long time ago. Jiraiya's sincerity delighted him, and his guilt dismayed him.

"I'd like that a lot, sir. Jiraiya. No...sensei."

**XxXxXx**

I hope you enjoyed this pretty long chapter. I really got back into the swing of things after conquering last semester, and enjoying a creative mood in this first month of the new semester. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year. Happy Valentine's Day (though I'm a minute late over here)!


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